A Father's Legacy
by SilyaBeeodess
Summary: Sixteen year-old Nina Sole has been trained the majority of her life as a fighter after her father's death in 1987. When she, along with a handful of other students from her military school, are captured by Predators and taken to a strange new world, she has to walk in her father's footsteps and use all of her knowledge to survive. Will she rejoin her parents in death?
1. Prologue

_Val Verde South America, 1987…_

His heart pounded. He, Dutch, Poncho, and some female prisoner from the Guerrilla camp were all that was left. Dillon had stayed behind in search of Mac, but it was obvious he was as good as dead. They were running from some strange creature whose origins were unknown to them, but could cloak completely with the surrounding jungle and had a lust for slaughtering man. In less than two days, one by one, Hawkins, Blain, and Mac were all dead, and Poncho injured. And inside himself, Billy felt it was partially his fault.

He had sensed the creature up in the trees, looking down at them, watching them, just before Hawkins had been killed off. Dutch had stood beside him then, and Billy had told him of his feeling, but done nothing save that. _We shouldn't have let him go alone!_ He swore at himself as he remembered the girl trying to escape and Hawkins chasing after her. To think moments before, they had been joking around and laughing together, something rarely anyone to make Billy do…

The four carefully started walking across a fallen log, over a large river, Billy taking up the rear, when suddenly a scream of pain tore through the jungle. Dillon…

His mind was made up. To keep running would mean death for them all and so would facing the thing head on. If he couldn't make retribution for not only his team's, but his friends' deaths, then fine, but he wouldn't die a coward and_ would_ make retribution for not trying to stop the creature in the first place. For not shooting it down from above and stopping all of this from happening. Most importantly, it could by the others time.

Billy dropped his pack into the rushing waters below, followed by tossing his rifle down as well. He turned back toward the other end of the log.

"Billy," he heard Dutch say from behind him as he shrugged off his vest, letting it fall, "Billy, let's go!" He could hear the urgency in his friend's voice. He allowed his silence to answer for him, not daring to turn around. Dutch should understand.

Assuming they had gone, Billy yanked off his leather necklace and wrapped it around his hand tightly, holding on to the last bit of his life, of his home, and praying she'd be alright. His face was as hard as stone; he refused to let emotion show, not now.

He drew out his machete slowly, breathing carefully. Steadily, he swiped a large cut on his chest, hoping the scent of blood might draw the creature near him and that it will accept his challenge of a fair fight.

He knew the thing was nearby. He waited, but not long. The log shook from impact as something large landed on it. It took a second to balance himself. Billy heard the sound of clicking, then saw something like sparks seem to fly off from thin air about two yards ahead of him. A creature nearly eight feet tall with dreadlocks and a metal mask covering his face appeared before him. It had small skulls and armor decorating different areas on its body.

For awhile, the pair stared at one another, observing each other. A pair of sharp blades shot out from the thing's wrists. And then the fight began.

_Weeks Later..._

Dutch sat in his truck, waiting at the front of a one-story brick home. Two weeks ago, he was in Val Verde, fighting Guerrilla's on a fake rescue mission. His entire team had perished and only a female Guerrilla soldier named Anna and himself made it out alive, and just barely. He had resigned from military work almost right after, and was only allowed to do so due to one thing, or rather person.

A little six year-old girl rushed out of the door, wearing a blue camo backpack and holding a teddy bear in one hand. She had long, brown hair, dark brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. "Uncle Dutch!" she squealed as she ran around to the driver's side and yanked open the door, hoping up and hugging him. He wasn't her real uncle, but he was practically family to her. They had spoken to one another often over the phone or by letter.

Hugging her, Dutch chuckled slightly, "It's good to finally see you in person, Nina. You're just as pretty in real life as you are in your pictures, but you're taller than I imagined." He had come to pick her up from her foster home. He was now, her legal guardian. Her mother had died when she was two and her father was gone as well.

A woman came outside, carrying a baby boy on her hip. After packing a couple more of Nina's bags in the back and a short conversation with the woman, Nina had propped herself up in the passenger's seat and buckled up, swinging her legs back and forth. Dutch rejoined her in the truck and started driving off.

Nina looked excitedly from him to the window over and over again. There was a long silence before anyone spoke. "Is Daddy coming home too?"

Dutch looked at her expectant face, then quickly back to the window, "Don't worry, you'll see him again. Although, I don't know when."

"Oh."

After a moment, Dutch said, "How about a story, to pass the time? You like those right? Anyway, it's about a friend of mine. He was a role-model, a leader, and a hero." Nina nodded, already listening intently.

Dutch sighed, "Ok… Here it goes:

"It was a very hot time of the year, just like this one, but where we were it was multiplied by ten. My friend and I were on a team of four guys. We were all in the jungle, and we were fighting a bunch of bad guys, trying to rescue a group of people who were kidnapped, but when we got there, there weren't any, just one girl who we thought might give us some…help.

"Later that day, my friend had taken the lead of the team, trying to lead us back to the choppa we had waiting for us a long way away. He saw something in the trees, and we all stopped, knowing it must be something important, even though none of the rest of us could see it.

"…We wound up finding out it was a monster. It was huge, with claws and mandibles, but other than that very man-like. It attacked us, one by one, and we tried to fight it off. We set traps, shot our guns, did all we could, but it didn't work. Four of us were already gone and one hurt, so my friend tried to stop the thing alone so we could get away." He paused before continuing, "He didn't beat it either.

"The one of us that was hurt got shot later on. I told the girl to run away and I distracted the monster. It chased me down off a cliff and into a big lake by a waterfall. I quickly dragged myself up onto dry land, but the monster jumped into the water behind me before I could rest. Now, at this point, I was covered in mud, and backed into a big rock with stringy sticks and plants. I saw the monster approach me, it aimed it gun, but it shot something else. It couldn't see me because of the mud."

Nina giggled, finding that funny. Dutch gave a sad, half-smile and went on. "In the end, I wound up winning and beat the monster, but it blew up a lot of the jungle with some type of bomb before dying. If it wasn't for my friend sacrificing himself for us, I might not still be here. If I know him though, he must've fought that thing like a mad dog. He was a fighter. He was brave, fearless, and caring. He had the heart of a true soldier, and if he hadn't fought the thing probably might have made it on his own. I couldn't thank him enough for that. I would've died otherwise."

Nina watched him, silent and wondering where he was getting at. He wouldn't cry, but Dutch turned his saddened gaze to her, "Nina, that man was your father."

It took her a few seconds for reality to strike. She looked down, at risk of crying herself. All was silent again. Finally, taking an educated guess and using her knowledge of who all her father had spent his time with in the army, she whispered, "The others?"

Dutch nodded, "I'm so sorry," he said quietly. "I miss them too, and I know your father would've stayed with you if he could, but he's watching over you now and he won't take his eyes off you. He still loves you, Nina."

She nodded, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She had all the best traits of her parents; her mother's beauty, voice, and kindness, her father's resolve, compassion, stubbornness, and skill. She even developed traits after speaking to some of the other men when she was able to contact them; Dillon's cunning, Hawkin's ability to light up any situation, Mac's and Blain's loyalty.

Pulling the truck over at a run-down diner, he unbuckled and picked Nina up, setting her on his lap. She hugged him tightly and cried into his shirt. He hugged her back, allowing them both time to morn their fallen comrades and family.


	2. Chapter 1: Cadet

_Ten years later..._

"Alright cadets, for most of you this is your final test in my class before the start of summer. We've had a decent year. _Do not_ fail me at this point. Get into your teams. Line up at the starting mark. Am I clear?" shouted Trainer Johnson in a serious tone.

"Sir, yes sir!" the cadets replied in unison. Nina Sole stood among them, wearing a standard uniform and her hair pulled back in a bun. Although in the future she had no intention of joining the regular rank-and-file army, she did plan on following in her father's, Billy Sole's, footsteps as a tracker and part of the rescue teams. However, circumstance more than need for training placed her here, at one of the top military schools in the country.

During the years since her father's death, Dutch had taught her much in the arts of a soldier. He had also taken over as the father figure she had lost because of one thing, a Predator. A killer so skilled and powerful, with such amazing technology, just one could wipe out a squad of elites.

The first years were fine, and the two had tried to get into the routine of a normal life, which neither of them were suited for to begin with. As she grew older, Dutch had told Nina more and more details of what had happened on Val Verde. Whenever the days turned especially warm, sometimes they would see on the news of people disappearing from similar situations, and only their skinned corpses being found. That had been more than enough to convince Dutch to start teaching Nina at an early age.

Despite whatever she succeeded in, her combat lessons, her survival training, the contests she'd won for being a sharpshooter, nothing gave her more pride than whenever Dutch would mention her traits she'd inherited from her father. Maybe this wasn't the life he might've pictured for his daughter to live, but it did make her feel closer to him, as if his spirit were beside her with every shot and blow she made.

Then, when she was thirteen, Dutch vanished without a trace, leaving only a letter of recommendation to this school, where she would spend the rest of her days until adulthood. Everyone from her past had gone, leaving her to stand strong to whatever future lay ahead.

Nina got into her group of three other cadets; Jarred, Mike, and Corin. She only dealt with these three with content, preferring to work alone on most assignments. She didn't hate them…Well, not all of them at any rate.

"Make sure you don't screw this up for us, got it?" Jarred whispered through clenched teeth. He had to be the most sexist male on the entire planet. Not a day went by when he didn't have some smart remark to spit at Nina. She wasn't the only girl at the school, but exceeded far past him in most of her classes, ruining his male ego and causing her to be one of his prime targets since she arrived. She wouldn't forget one of her first days here, during military tactics class.

"_Tell me cadets, what could the German forces have done instead in World War I to reach and attack France, rather than trying to force their way through Berlin?" Their trainer had asked._

_Nina had raised her hand to give her theory when then someone sneered a few desks behind her. "What do you know? A woman with an opinion. What are the odds?" While other cadets snickered around her, she turned to see Jarred smirking in her direction._

"_What do you know? A male sexist pig with his head up his crack. What are the odds?" Nina snapped back before she could stop herself. _

_The class had roared with laughter, but she and Jarred had been ordered on dish duty for misbehaving. However, it was worth it to put him in his place and see him take some heat._

"Just try to keep up this time. I don't want to have to drag your sorry butt across the finish line." She replied, not bothering to look at him and marching to the starting point. Nina got down low to the ground and concentrated on the first obstacle. It was a basic course for someone like her.

At the sound of a pistol being fired, every cadet began quickly shuffling on their elbows underneath tangles of barb wire, keeping their heads ducked down.

Little did they know the figure that was watching them from above, on the roof of the gymnasium. The Yautja Stalker from the Jungle Hunter Clan watched as the human adolescents raced through the odd course. He had already been here for a good hour, observing some of the other groups of cadets that went through the course, and he was already tired of it. His cloaking device could work for longer periods of time than other members of his species with different titles, but that wasn't the problem.

He was a sniper, not some type of game breeder. Yet of all people, his clan had sent him out to capture prey for the Young Bloods, adolescent Yautja that had just completed their basic training regimen, to kill on some of their first hunts.

After getting through the wire, Nina waited a few more seconds to help pull Mike out. The four then hurriedly moved to a large, wooden wall on which a platform was built on the other side. Cupping her hands, bending her knees, and facing Corin, who was is the same stance, she stood firm as Mike lifted himself up.

"Keep tight," she reminded him as she and Corin simultaneously pushed him up into an extension, sending Mike standing in their hands, above their heads and already pulling himself over the wall's ledge.

Once Mike was over on the other side, Jarred came next. However, once he jumped up, he pushed most of his weight toward Nina. It was obvious what he was trying do to, since he had run this course enough times without messing things up. He intended to make Nina look not only like a weakling, but the cause of it all if they fell behind. _Not this time, bub!_ thought Nina, gritting her teeth as she shoved him upwards and careful not to push him to Corin.

Feeling the lightness in his hand's Corin began to see the problem and helped as well. "Not funny, dude! You're going to bring us all down in you can't get a grip." Corin said, glaring at Jarred.

Before he could respond, Mike grabbed his hands and yanked him up the rest of the way. Mike reached out to take the next persons hand as Jarred unhappily zipped down the ropes and begin making his way through the paths of tires. Nina stepped into Corin's hands and was quickly lifted up and grabbed by Mike. She helped pull herself up and leaned back over to grab one of Corin's arms as he jumped up.

All three were down and through the tires in a flash. Jarred had all of our equipment out and ready. Shoving her pack through one arm, Nina followed the others to a huge rock climbing wall that was around twenty-five feet high. She watched as the other teams begin getting their equipment. Good; they were still in the lead.

As the guys begin to harness themselves, she hastily went through her pack and drug out the equipment. Her harness, pulley, and helmet were all there, but not her carabiner. _Looks like I'm free climbing this thing,_ she grumbled in her head as the others begin their ascent, already a good ways up. Nina put on her helmet and took hold of the ropes, leaving the rest. She climbed well enough, but when she was about half-way up felt a trickle of suspicion run down her neck.

Turning to look behind her and squinting to look in the distance, she saw a patch of air that seemed to be moving on its own, in the figure of something human standing on the gym roof. Losing her concentration, she lost her grip and fell back down to the earth, landing on her back and air whisping from her lungs.

"Nina! Are you alright?" Mike called from above. Nina quickly got up, not wanting to look pathetic or helpless. She grabbed the ropes again and soon was climbing back up, more determined now than ever. As she reached the top, Corin and Mike helped lift her up, to her embarrassment, checking to make sure she didn't hurt herself to bad. "Good thing you had a helmet," Corin joked.

Jarred had already zipped down from the platform and made it across, waiting for us. Unwilling to give him anymore satisfaction, Nina shoved the two toward the cords and handlebars, grabbing her own. She gripped tightly as gravity tried to tear her downwards to the mud pit below. When they got across the finish line, two of the other teams had already made it.

"Great job! Just great, you made us fall back into third place!" Jarred shouted at her.

Before she could say anything back, Trainer Johnson stormed over to her. "Are you trying to prove something? You could've broken you're leg or killed yourself! What were you thinking when you were getting you're equipment?"

Trying hard to keep a neutral expression on her face, Nina replied, "Sir, my carabiner was missing. I had no other means to get over the wall."

"You mean _that_ carabiner?" Jarred pointed accusingly, back to where the tire obstacle ended. Nina looked back to see it lying on the ground a couple yards away from the tires.

Trainer Johnson gave a suspicious glance in Jarred's direction. "Sole, Trotsky, stay here after the others leave. I'd like a word with you both."

The Stalker walked from above; glad to see the female's attention was elsewhere. He didn't know how, but he'd almost been caught. He had his gun out just in case she managed to see him again he could stop her from giving away his position. Still, the female did manage to surprise him with her courage and strength.

He had seen the male yank the item from her back while the others were still getting over the first wall, and once again he wondered to himself why these humans sabotaged and picked one another off so. It couldn't be because of being in different clans, because so many that looked very different would ally with each other at times, while ones in the same habitats fought each other.

Something to think about another day. Right now, he would keep the female in mind. She just might prove to be an interesting challenge.

"For once in your lives, do you think you two could just play nice with each other?" Trainer Johnson asked exasperatingly.

_Not on your life, _Nina thought, not wishing to outright say no.

Reading the angered looks on the cadets faces, Johnson sighed and said, "Fine. Trotsky, before you hit the showers, I want ten laps around the track from you, and during your free time, you can polish all of the boots in the locker room."

"But-" Jarred began to retort before seeing the seriousness of Johnson's order. He immediately turned and raced to the tracks.

Once he was out of earshot, Johnson turned back to Nina, "Sole, I'm not going to punish you, but I want you to head to the medic and see how badly you were hurt from that fall."

Nina raised an eyebrow, but kept any other sign of emotion from showing, "With all due respect, sir, are you doing this just because I'm a girl and you're going easy on me?"

"No, I'm doing this because it's what I think is fair. Just don't risk getting hurt when you don't have to, alright?" To her surprise, he grinned, "Maybe you'll need to pull a stunt like that on the battlefield, but not here."

Nina nodded, "Understood sir," then she turned at walked off.

Johnson shook his head as he watched her leave, muttering to himself, "Just like you, back in _our_ cadet days. Right, Billy?" He turned and watched Jarred, keeping count on the laps he ran.


	3. Chapter 2: The Stalker Strikes

Right after dinner, Nina went straight to the barracks and slammed the door shut behind her. No one else would hear it; nobody else was in the room, all of the other girls were off talking to one another in their groups in different areas of the building or were still eating. She hated the whole situation she was in, of being picked out just for being a girl or because she needed to match up to what her teachers would've expected from Dutch or her father. More than anything, she _despised_ Jarred. He did everything he could to try to make her fall behind the others, even if it made him fall behind as well, and half of her effort that she should spend to impress her trainers, she was forced to spend making sure he didn't mess things up for her.

Nina climbed up into her bunk that sat above one of a cadet's name she didn't know. She mainly kept off to herself more than anything, or was one of the guys, whose barracks were in a separate part of the building. Once up, she reached into the pouch of a solid dark green backpack hanging from one of the bedposts. She pulled out an old, slightly rusted and scratched up dog tag and read the inscription as she had done thousands of times before. Although the words and numbers were already deeply encoded into her memory.

2097520938

LUIETENENT

BILLY SOLE

"_The night before he died, he gave this to me. Said he had a bad feeling of how all of that mess would end, and thought all of us were going to die anyway," Dutch had told her when she had just turned eight, "but he said he had faith that if anyone was going to make it, it would be me. I wish I could've proven him wrong on that."_

_He curled the dog tag, still on its chain, into her still small hands. Nina stared at it blankly, not knowing what effect to have, but feeling a sort of warmth coming from the necklace._

"_I was going to wait to give you it until you were older, but I didn't know what would've been the right time and I think you're at an age now that you're ready to know a bit more about the whole story. You're getting to be a big girl and should know more details on the way things happened. He would want you to have it. And he would want you to wear it with pride. Whenever you feel alone, look at this, and know he's watching you."_

Nina put on the necklace and gripped tightly to the tag, as if she could hold his hand one more time. She wondered why her father would have given it to Dutch in the first place. She had always admired his "sixth sense," his ability to sense things without seeing them, tell what happened or what would happen without really trying, but did he truly believe he was going to die? More so, was he perfectly _ok_ with that? It all seemed too unreal, yet then again, so had his death in the first place. In fact, for the first couple months of having Dutch for a parent, she would wake up in the morning, look out the window, expecting to see her father driving their scrapheap Jeep up to the house to pick her up and have his first cup of black coffee, and find nothing.

She lay back in bed and closed her eyes. _Two more years, just two more years. _Then she would be free to do whatever she wanted, in this case sign up for the US rescue teams as soon as possible. _Look on the bright side,_ she told herself, _you get about two months of peace in less than a week._ Yes, then Jarred and most of the other cadets would head back home for summer break. However, Nina and the others that had nowhere to go would stay right here or go on the annual camping trip, where they would further sharpen their survival skills and learn a few more Boy Scout tricks. There was a huge cookout at the end as a reward for everyone roughing it, one of the few celebrations they had here other than the military ball, which she never went to.

She only came out of the barracks once more that day, and only then to go to the lowering of the flag. She and the rest of the girls filed back in to the barracks to get ready for bed and then hit the hay.

The sun was beginning to set as the Stalker looked down from a tree and through the window of the girl's barracks, staring at Nina. He wondered how he would be able to get her alone so he could capture her without suspicion. It would be obvious if he just, went in, grabbed her, and drug her across the dirt to his ship, where everyone would see a mysterious force pull Nina away like a rag doll. He needed to get back to the planet soon though. Suddenly he heard shouts coming from a distance. He turned in that direction to spot the silhouettes of a group of humans dragging another, unwilling one with them by his arms and legs.

"Come on, guys, put me down! What did I ever do to any of you?" yelled Jarred, trying to break free from the four other boy's grasps, who were each holding either an arm or a leg.

"Simple: You cost us first place in the obstacle course, and now it's payback time," Mike said with a devilish grin.

"What? That was Nina! She's the one who fell at the rock wall!"

"After _you_ sabotaged her equipment. _Please!_ Do you seriously think we're that gullible? Johnson recounts and double-checks that stuff as if he were headed into a real battle; there's no way it could've just fallen out on its own," Corin joined in.

"I didn't do anything!" Jarred still protested.

"Forget it, Jarred."

"Ok, ok, I did it! Happy? But like you said, it's not like it's a real war and I've already been punished. Cut some lack."

"Nope."

The four stopped walking when they reached the fountain in the courtyard. The four started swinging Jarred back and forth and spoke in unison, each one grinning from ear to ear.

"_One…"_

"No!"

"_Two…"_

"No no no!"

"_Three!"_

"Nononononononononono!"

The guys tossed him in, much to his dismay, and he landed face first into the water.

After a good, long laugh, Mike finally spoke up. "Look at it this way; you won't need to shower in the morning"

They were just helping Jarred back out when they all heard a clicking sound from nearby.

"Ok… Two questions: Am I not the only one that heard that and does anyone know what could've made that sound?" one of the other boys asked.

"It sounded kind of like a purr, could be a cat," Corin said.

"A _cat? _ That was a little bit too loud to come from a cat."

"Well what do you think it is genius?"

They all heard the sound again, but much closer now. Turning in the direction of the sound, they saw a flicker of yellow lights similar to eyes. Three of the boys started running away, but didn't get far before a bright light flashed. All of them were unconscious as they hit the ground, and soon only the sound of the fountain could be heard.

The Stalker uncloaked, seeing as there were no other humans in the area. He cocked his head, thinking of how he was going to get all of them out of here before they were spotted. He picked one boy up and tossed him across one shoulder, then tied the rest of them together with a long rope, pulling them across the grass.

_Well, that's five. Half way done, _he thought as he went up the boarding ramp and placed the human males inside a holding cell in case the stun cannon's effects wore off before they arrived. They would be fitted into more suitable clothes and given equipment before being sent out to be in the hunt, since clearly they had no weapons on them now. These humans were hunted enough, along with other species, that ones that had already been killed were stripped of their gear for cases like this. The Yautja rarely ever needed them, but it helped to see how other technology and weaponry from various worlds worked on occasion. Sometimes they were even able to replicate them, if the items were more advanced than their own or they had nothing similar.

Nina cracked her eyes open as she heard a slight rapping on one of the windows. Light from the hall burst from a crevice as the door creaked open. She quietly propped herself on one elbow to see a girl leaving the barracks, dressed and wearing her boots. Nina checked her watch; it was 2:17 in the morning. Rolling her eyes, she got back under the covers. She'd get caught on her own and she didn't care what was going on as long as she got some sleep in before dawn.

A few moments later, there was a sudden, muffled banging sound from outside and a light flashed through the windows. Now concerned and curious, she popped back up, but saw nothing when she looked outside. It hadn't seemed to have woken anyone else up.

She dug through her pack and yanked out a flashlight. After climbing down silently so not to disturb her bunkmate, she dressed in her clothes and put on her combat boots. Thankfully, the cadet that slept under her was a sound sleeper. There could've been a tornado breaking apart the campus and she wouldn't have woken up. Nina moved with a light hunter's tread out of the room and snuck into the hall with ease.

Maneuvering through the school after lights out was easier than one would think. The only places monitored by cameras at that time would be ones with more valuable items needing to be guarded. The watchmen to make sure cadets weren't roaming the halls stopped by the barracks every hour and then went in other hallways to search or changed shifts. Once you got past them, a cadet could go through the dining hall and the kitchen, then out the door in the back where the garbage was picked up. A few more watchmen were outside as well, but were effortless to keep out of sight of if you knew the right places, which almost everyone but the rookies did.

Once Nina was outside, she went around to where she first heard the noise and switched on her flashlight. The watchmen didn't come around here because their lights sometimes were too bright, so it went through the windows and would wake up the cadets, but hers was dim enough not to spread out that far. It was eerily quiet save for the sounds of insects. The "sixth sense" she inherited from her father was going off like crazy, telling her to turn back now. She felt it was just the darkness that made her feel this way, and that she needed to be brave like her father would be in times like this.

There was a rustling of leaves up above and she looked up slowly without lifting her head to see three small red lights in the shape of a triangle pointed at her. Her blood chilled and she automatically froze. These lights were familiar, the exact ones from Dutch's stories she had heard and remembered so well.

Nina breathed slowly, not saying anything. Not screaming, not running, not moving, not even backing away or bothering to call for help. This thing had her in its firing range by only a few yards, and there was nothing to use as cover nearby. She knew whatever she did wouldn't matter now unless she planned on bringing a few more of her kind down with her. She would die. End of story.

But she would stare it down at least. She wouldn't die looking weak and fearful. She lifted her head up so it knew she saw it and glared. Slowly, she moved her empty hand and grasped the dog tag. The last thing she heard was that banging sound before falling to the earth.

He jumped down from the branch and landed with a mild thud, his knees bent. Standing up, he strode other to the human female lying at his feet. He had only aimed his weapon to toy with her, and was shocked she hadn't tried to flee, but instead had the nerve to look him dead in the eye. Kneeling, the Stalker lifted up her head with one hand so she would face him. The female moaned softly as he did so. He picked up her flashlight, switching it off and pocketing it, before lifting her up in his arms. Nina was easy to carry and he took her back to the ship, placing her with the others. He had captured another four before she had snuck out.


	4. Chapter 3: The Hunt Begins

Nina woke up feeling stiff and sore. She cracked her eyes open, expecting to see ceiling and then only facing greyish, cold metal with some air holes drilled through it. Now fully alert, with memories of last night-at least, she thought it was last night- pouring in, she quickly stood up, wondering if she should be thankful to be alive.

She was in some type of cage that was large enough for her to stand or lie down in, but narrow in width. A black pack lay on the floor, as did an AK-47 Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle complete with a removable scope and sling, machete, and an AN/PEQ-14 Pistol. Both guns were fully loaded, polished, and military issue. Rummaging through the pack, Nina found a standard med kit, rations, a large, dark blanket that looked to be cut from the same material parachutes were made of, a magnesium fire-starter, hunting knife, wire, rope, liquid iodine, and a filled to the brim canteen. There was also plenty of ammo in reachable and easy to get to pouches. Whoever had placed her here seemed to have planned to give her a fighting chance.

For the first time, she took a good, long look at herself. Her dog tag was still securely fastened around her neck; however that majority of her outfit was entirely different than before. The only thing that remained from her old outfit was her combat boots. Now she was wearing an insulated black, lightweight jacket, a dark brown tank with special reinforcements covering her vital areas, and a pair of simple camouflage cargo pants. There was also a holster on her left thigh for the pistol and a sheath for the machete on her other side. For a moment, she felt bashful, embarrassed, and upset at the thought of someone she didn't know seeing her stark naked, until she quickly realized it wasn't her main concern at the moment.

As she undid the bun in her hair and instead put it in a tight, low ponytail, Nina felt around the corners and edges of the cage to find an exit. Nothing; the thing was sealed tight. Next she placed one ear on what she believed to be the entrance of the cage and knocked on it, trying to hear the vibration. The cage walls were too thick to attempt to blast her way out. After putting on the pack and gathering the weapons, she decided to try one last thing before completely giving up.

Nina backed up to the other side of the space, and concentrated, knowing she would have to use all her brute strength and hard-headedness if this was going to even slightly have a chance of working. Taking off at full speed, she slammed herself into the adjacent wall, only to fall back down to the ground feeling sore and cursing herself.

She sat up, gripping tightly to the rifle and waiting impatiently for some sign. After what she assumed to be an hour, the cage finally opened. Light from the outside world poured in and she shielded her eyes as she got up. Poking the gun out ahead of her, she walked out; heart pounding from adrenaline of not knowing what was to come next.

And what came next didn't please her in the slightest. In a matter of seconds, she turned to her left to come face to face with the barrel of a shotgun. Who was behind it made her smirk though.

"Mind pointing that thing somewhere else?" she asked, relaxing her muscles.

Mike laughed, still nervous, but glad to see a friendly face. He lowered his weapon. He wasn't wearing his cadet uniform either, but something that looked like what mercenaries or bounty hunters would wear. It was a little big for him, but fit well enough.

Two other boys stood behind him; Chase and Colton, a pair of boys who were two the strongest and quickest on the track and field. They both wore military Special Forces combat uniforms. Three cages stood open, exact to the one Nina had been in, and all were lined up in a row in front of a huge, electrified fence that had metal plates at the bottom. There would be no way to get over or under it without getting fried. The rest of the area, as far as the eye could see, was jungle, but the plants were unrecognizable.

The four heard a thud coming from behind them, and turned to see yet another unopened cage. The thuds were continuous until finally the cage door opened up and out ran Jarred, wearing a brown vest over top a camo, long-sleeve shirt and pair of matching pants. He carried a pair of Beretta M9 pistols and had a holstered Colt Anaconda Revolver. When he saw them, he ran over and said, "Just what the heck is going on?"

No one answered as cage after cage opened in the row. One by one, other cadets appeared, and with each, equipment, attire, and weaponry varied. Once all of the cages had opened, there were a total of two girls and eight boys. Nina didn't recognize three of them because one was a year younger than her and the other two were going to graduate this year. However, the girl she knew.

For being at a military school, Tessera Fultz had to be one of the preppiest girls Nina had ever known. She was always the one in the middle of gossip and drama, yet never managed to get into any trouble from her peers; a pure natural snake charmer. She had green eyes and dirty-blonde hair cropped short that ended just past her chin, barely touching her neck. She was the one Nina had seen sneak out the night she saw the Predator.

Once it seemed no one else would be joining them, the group quietly looked at one another. Tessera moved closer to one of the older guys and took his hand. "This is probably just a test by the trainers to see who can make it in a situation like this. I'll bet there are cameras watching us right now."

Nina said nothing, knowing better than that. Apparently, so did some of the other guys, because Colton spoke up, "We were knocked out. There's no way they'd do that. And we saw something that attacked us." His words became more rushed, "We don't know what it was, but it was something. And then there was a bright light and now we're here."

Eyes widened. "Same here, but I didn't see what attacked me. I was going to get my watch that I had left in the gym when it happened," the youngest boy said. Others nodded in agreement.

Nina's face turned hard and serious, she spun on one heel and walked off. Someone would need to take control, even if she wasn't the leader type. She stopped and looked back at the others. "Come on, our first objective would be to find a source of water. What we have won't last too long,"

"Just why should we listen to you?" She heard Tessera demand as Mike, Corin, Chase, and Colton followed without question, knowing they could trust her abilities.

Nina's eyes narrowed, "No reason, really, considering we're all on equal ground without a clue where were are or what we're facing. If you'd rather be on your own with just your boyfriend to protect you, than fine. Other than that, do you have any better ideas?"

Not being able to come up with a good comeback, Tessera followed, and finally so did the others.

They had trudged for hours on end, leaving behind the last signs of civilization and unable to find another. They were completely surrounded by woods, with trees that seemed to have been there since the beginning of time. They couldn't spot the sun when they looked up, just never ending sky and odd, occasional streaks of purple or orange.

It had been awhile before they stopped to rest, sitting on fallen logs and boulders, sweating and tired. They seemed to be walking up a steady slope. Nina yanked off her jacket and tied it around her waist, feeling a much appreciated cool breeze on her arms. Like the others, she ate a small bit of her rations and took tiny, careful sips of water. None of them knew when they would be able to find an edible source of food or a clean water supply.

Strange, yet lovely flowers grew alongside a large tree, twisting themselves with vines and bark. They had needle-like points growing around the edges of their funnels. Tessera reached out to pick one just as Nina saw one snap shut after a fly-like insect landed on it.

"Don't touch that," she warned, Tessera looked at her questioningly. Nina nodded to the one now sealed closed, "If they eat insects, who knows what else they might also have a taste for. Not all plants are for decoration, and see those spikes? Might be poisonous." She glared at Nina, but moved her hand away from the flowers carefully.

No one was in much of a mood for talking, so for the most part they sat there and closed their eyes, resting. The ground seemed to rumble slightly, as if there was a stampede, and everyone's eyes few open. They reached out for their weapons and stood up; looking around frantically for what might've caused the tremor. All was deadly still for a moment, then a large creature that looked like something from a horror movie broke through the trees and tackled Chase before he could react. He screamed and at first tried to shove the creature off. No one fired in fear of shooting him as well. The thing clawed at him as he yanked on the hilt of his sword, desperately trying to dislodge it from its sheath. Once he had succeeded in that, he stabbed it clean through the thing's gut.

It still didn't die. Nina was just about to lift up her rifle to shoot the thing through the skull before a blue light zoomed past them and struck the thing in the forehead. Chase crawled away backwards as the corpse fell on top of him. He was bleeding heavily from one arm and has a series of other cuts. The rest of the cadets aimed the weapons around, but whatever it was that had killed the creature seemed to have vanished.

They rushed over to Chase, some taking aim and watching the surrounding woods in case more of those things attacked. None came. Nina and Corin hurriedly cleansed and bound up Chase's cuts, having him drink a bit more water and calm down. He was in a state of shock, shivering uncontrollably and moving with jerky motions.

With Corin and Colton to look after Chase, Nina slung her rifle up one arm and examined the creature. It wasn't like the Predator Dutch had told her from his stories, although it did have mandibles. It seemed to have exoskeletal skin. Four, long fingers came from its now still hands. Small, cockroach like bugs moved around its wounds, working on healing the dead thing. It had two powerful legs, suitable for running at amazing speed. Other than that, it was much humanoid in shape and physic.

Nina stood up, "Let's get out of here," she pointed at the body, "He seems too sentient to be a wild animal and he might have some friends after us as well."

No one hesitated to get going. Colton helped Chase stand up and walk. Jarred piped up as they moved, "What about whatever shot it?" Nina didn't look at him or answer. He then walked right in front of her, "Nina, whatever it was could kill us just as easily! You know something! What is it?"

Everyone looked at her, everyone so badly wanting an answer to all of this. She signed and looked down, "Some of you know the story of my dad and his squad that my Uncle Dutch led. How they were killed off by Guerrillas in Val Verde. Well, I lied. Yes, that was the mission, but their killer was more deadly than you can imagine."

Corin looked at her, stunned, "_Killer?"_

She nodded, "That's right, just one. A Predator. A trophy hunter. This is the same kind of technology and stealth that that thing used on them that they're using on us. I won't be surprised if they're the same species."

The other oldest boy, who had been silent until now, spoke, "So this is all a game to them then…"

The youngest boy slumped down, cupping his face in his hands, "We're dead. We're so dead."

Jarred looked at him and frowned, picking him up by one arm, a mix of panic and anger in his voice, "Will you calm down already? If you're so sure that we're all going to die then I say we go down with a fight!"

Nina shook her head, "Bad idea. This isn't the type of guy you can just walk up and pick a fight with. Their born to kill, and now, we're their targets." She started walking again. "As I said, we need to find water. Not just to get us hydrated, but keep us hidden as well. Water means mud. Those things see us by our heat, and we can help ourselves using the mud for camouflage."

They took off again, more in a hurry now than ever to make as much distance as they could.

Once the human adolescents had gone, a Yautja Youngblood named Sain'ja climbed down from a tree, examining his kill. He hated the fact that that human male had damaged the River Ghost far more than his blaster would've done, but at least the skull was skill in decent condition save for the one shot. He marked it in his memory to make the male one of his targets, but to wait until he was in better condition. There was no point in hunting someone who was in such a wreck.

After quickly and cleanly decapitating the corpse, Sain'ja carried the head off to the side to remove the insides and clean it.


	5. Chapter 4: Hunting Party

It was nightfall when they found it; a large spring surrounded by boulders and vines. It was clear at the bottom and didn't seem to have any creatures in it. The cadets dropped down, exhausted. Corin had begun praying and giving thanks. After a quick, small meal, they began applying mud to one another's bodies and faces, covering themselves everywhere with the gunk they had longed for all day. Preferably, they would've rather just all passed out on the soft moss and grass, but knew they had to set up a decent campsite unless they wanted to be caught during the night.

Nina cut off a large branch from a nearby tree with her knife, then leaned it against a tree at waist height, tying it securely with rope. She dung out her parachute material and draped it over evenly, using two more long branches to tuck any excess material in and use it to serve as a floor. She used rocks and other things to hold them in place so they wouldn't slide inward. Nina did what she could to camouflage it, moving brush and other resources around it, especially the entrance.

Others with similar items made the same one-man shelters. Cadets without them worked on debris huts or lean-tos. It was slow work, but in the end they knew it would be well rewarding, if it helped to keep them alive. Standing away, especially in this darkness, the shelters would only appear as groups of bushes and piles of fallen leaves and sticks.

She began setting up traps with the wire around the campsite. Jarred looked at her, "Are you brain-dead? That stuff will only give us away. Lights will reflect off of it."

"That's what mud and rotting debris is for, you lout. We can cover the snares up. Plus do you want to wake up to find one of those things from earlier sniffing around here? Even if it won't catch one of them, maybe it can catch breakfast."

He didn't respond.

Nina was about to crawl into her shelter when she heard a _psst _nearby. Turning, she spotted Nick, the youngest boy. The other two were Don, Tessera's boyfriend, and Jacob. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"Do you think we'll make it?" he asked.

"What?"

"Do you think we'll make it? That all of us will survive this and make it home?"

Nina would've moaned at the boy's hopefulness, if she had been cruel enough. Chances were next to zero of going back home, and slimmer still of _anyone_ living through this. She was caught between flat-out lying and crushing Nick's spirit completely, which definitely wouldn't do them any good. The last thing they needed was another man mentally unstable for this. So she only said, "We'll see, I guess."

He knew that would be the final word on that conversation. "Well, night."

"Night." Nina slid herself in, taking off her jacket, balling it up, and using it as a pillow. She heard a rustling noise as Nick got into his own shelter. Everything was quiet once more save for the sound of insects. Clicking the safely lock on her rifle, she hugged it as if it was the source to all life.

There was no need to organize a watch system; everybody was too tired to be of much good if anything did show up in the middle of the night. It could wait until tomorrow, which was especially dreaded. Tomorrow could hold anything. A laser bolt in the back coming seemingly from nowhere. New aliens with just as much a hunger for killing as the Predators themselves. Death for anyone of them.

It was getting harder and harder for Nina to fall asleep, even though she knew she would need that extra stored energy and strength. She curled up as best she could, letting herself be swallowed by the warmth from inside. It was a surprisingly cool night. Eventually fatigue overrode panic, and she drifted off.

Nina snapped awake to the sound of hollering, nearly destroying her shelter as she startled and grabbed her rifle. After a moment, she registered it wasn't the sound of an attack. Confused, she poked her head out to meet morning rays of light.

The rest of the cadets were sitting outside of their own shelters, looking at the traps. Nina stepped out to see three struggling creatures snared. It one was rabbit-like, but a bit larger. She smiled and was about to cheer herself before remembering where they were. She silenced the others. Soon the only sounds heard was that of the animals trying to escape from their captures.

"How are we going to do it?" Nick asked, "You know, kill them."

"Are they even edible?" Jacob questioned.

"Well, the military survival books did say all mammals were edible, and that's definitely mammal," answered Colton helpfully.

Speaking for the first time since yesterday, Chase asked, "If we tried to get near them will they bite?"

Nina spoke up, "I don't think we should try to find out, not yet," she sighed, "Ok. We'll shoot them," some people begin reaching for their guns, but Nina then said, "Not now. Three of us will line up and do it just as one would in a military execution while at war. We'll fire all at once. If the Predators hear us, we may be able to confuse them into thinking less of us are together."

She pointed to Mike and Corin, who stood up next to her. All was silent as the group waited. The trio raised their guns and took aim at the creatures' heads.

Nina counted down quietly, "One…Two…Three."

The guns went off in unison, and three animals dropped dead. The group quickly hid behind boulders and thick tree trunks, taking there kills with them and hiding the bodies, waiting to see what happened. All was still.

The sound of a fired gun made the Youngbloods look up. The sound hadn't come from any of them. The second hunting party had gone in a different direction. The only other creatures close enough who had firearms with them were the humans. Cloaking, they went up into the trees and left to investigate.

They reached the spring within minutes, but saw nothing save mounds of leaves and rubbish. One jumped down, landing with a thump upon the earth. The cadets froze upon hearing him land. Those that could looked at the spot where the grass had smashed down from some impact.

The Youngblood leaned down and picked something cylinder in shape off the ground. It was an empty bullet shell. Standing up once more, he uncloaked. Once the others had jumped down, they did the same. There were four of them in total. Nina held her breath, her skin beneath the mud turning pale. It had only taken one to wipe out almost the entire group of commandos her father had been in.

The Youngbloods looked around for any other signs of the cadets' in that area. One of them walked over to one of the debris huts. That's we he began to poke at it with his foot. The mound felt a little hallow. He was just about to blast it when one of the others called him over. Blood from the rabbit-like things was still on the grass. Nina could've shot herself for not covering up the stains.

Sain'ja was among the Yautja at the spring. _Where did you go? _he thought. He ordered the other Youngbloods to scout around to see if the humans had run off. Since he was training to be an Elite, he outranked them. The three did so quickly, recloaking and hopping back into the trees. Sain'ja walked around the spring, looking for something to indicate another being's presence. He found no source of heat that would normally be there when a warm-blooded creature was close. He stopped and tried the other settings on his mask.

Nina was as still as a statue. The remaining Predator was standing on top of the boulder in front of her. As he turned and looked the other way, she silently tried to make herself smaller in between the rocks. She took in every detail of him, assuming he was the leader since the others had left to where he pointed. If she and the other cadets could fight back, he would be among the ones they would need to get rid of first. She hoped he couldn't hear her heart beating.

As dumb and terrible luck would have it, a small reptile climbed from the boulder onto his foot. Sain'ja looked down seeing the reptile's moving cold spot. He kneeled down and held out his hand, which the reptile climbed into. He paused with realization and looked back toward the rocks near him. Some of them seemed oddly shaped together. Reaching out with his free hand, he gently touched the rocks, tilting his head to one side. It was rough and wet, like the ones he had been running and standing on by the water, but it also felt a bit loose and squishy. Pressing only a tiny bit firmer he felt his finger sink into a thick layer of mud. From behind his mask, Sain'ja's face grew with suspicion. He put down the reptile and it scurried away.

Upon feeling a finger softly touch her arm, Nina closed her eyes shut, not wanting to see what would come next. As she felt another hand block the passage of wind to her face, she willed them open. His hand was centimeters away from her right cheek, although he was moving cautiously. She wondered if she could be quick enough to draw her machete and run him through.

Someone fired at the Predator, hitting him in the leg. Neon green blood soon began oozing out of the wound. Sain'ja howled and he looked in the direction of his attacker. Nina did as well. Mike stood there from his position behind a tree, holding his shotgun.

"Hey ugly!" he yelled then wiped off some of the mud concealing his face, "I'm here!" He fired again. "Nina, run!"

Sain'ja leaped over straight towards Mike, who turned and dashed off into the woods. Nina stood up, "Mike no! He'll kill you!" Sain'ja briefly looked behind him, just in time to see her stand. Never mind, he'd kill that one later. He sped up after his prey.

The cadets stood up and chased after him, each one holding a gun of some type.

Mike ran for his life through the tangled mess of the jungle. He had no idea whether he could outrun the guy or not. Back there, he had just been thinking of saving her. Nina was the only one who he knew could survive this nightmare. She was the daughter of the world's best commandos, she knew what they were up against, and she could make it.

Meanwhile, who was he? A boy who grew up with low grades in school, whose entire family had never been to collage, and who was only going to join the army to make a name and a life for himself. What did that matter here?

But there was one thing he learned as a cadet, and that was that sometimes you have to drop everything, quit thinking about some stupid reputation, and do what's right. He had learned that lesson the hard way.

_At first when he went to the school, his whole mind revolved around making himself the absolute best. He trained during breaks, cut cold turkey on anything but healthy foods, and was overall a complete jerk to anyone who might've stood in his way. That included Nina. His first friend had foolishly been Jarred, who told him that she was stuck up, but was top of the class in practically everything. Meanwhile, he struggled during classroom sessions. Since she was always quiet, he believed Jarred. He couldn't stand the thought of it, and went along with whatever teasing Jarred did to her._

_Then came the school's annual woodland race. He and Jarred were running through it together and believed they were well ahead of Nina, who actually had been saving her speed for later and was pacing herself. The two had been going as fast as they could until Mike tripped and sprained his ankle. Jarred helped him sit on a dead log on one side of the trail, but left him there._

_Other cadets came and passed, looking at him, wondering what was wrong, and soon came Nina. She saw him and stopped. When he explained what happened- and acting very obnoxious about it- Nina bullied him into letting her help him walk, despite his protests. "Either I'm going to help you, or I'm going to smack you upside the head for being as stubborn as a bull," she had said. When cadets passed this time, they would ask as well, one or two offering assistance, but she refused and said she could do it herself._

_When they reached the end of the trail, the only person waiting was their trainer. They had gotten dead last in the race. Mike originally felt guilty about causing her to lose, knowing how she felt about being picked out as a girl. The trainer told Nina to go to dinner and that he would explain to her other teachers and coaches why she missed her other classes. He had helped Mike walk the rest of the way back. _

_For a while, things went back to their usual course. However, this time he didn't pick on Nina, and even Jarred backed off for a few days. When he finally had the nerve to thank her after everything, she shrugged it off like it was nothing. However, they did develop a good friendship over the course of the next weeks, and had been friends since._

Now, as he ran, Mike thought as least he would make a sacrifice he knew all true soldiers were prepared to do.

Suddenly the ground dropped beneath him as he rolled down a steep hill. When he got to the bottom, he felt dizzy and sick. He also felt like he might have broken a rib. Then he heard something pound down after him, followed by a familiar clicking. Turning onto his back and shuffling with his feet and one hand, he moved away from the incoming Predator. He began firing his shotgun with the other hand, to no avail.

Sain'ja kept coming. Moving forward and closing in on his target. His wristblades shot out from one arm and his fists were clenched. Mike backed up against a tree and used it to help him stand up.

"Come on, you jacked-up crackhead," he taunted as he fingered his gun. It didn't fire. He had run out of ammo. "Crap!"

Sain'ja reached him and slashed his wristblades at the human. Ducking down, Mike moved around the other side and dropped his useless weapon, yanking out a large knife. He slashed at Sain'ja, who dodged the strike easily and gripped his wrist, twisting it painfully. Truly seeing how outmatched he was, Mike's eyes widened with fear.

"Crackhead," Sain'ja said in English before stabbing Mike through the chest.

"Mike! MIKE!" Nina yelled, racing down the obvious path the two had taken. The pair had broken enough branches and things during their chase it left a clear trail. The group saw the drop off ahead of time and made their way down.

They arrived on the sight, but the two had vanished. In place of them on the ground was a pile of guts, some small bone fractures, and a large amount of spilled blood, already starting to be feasted on by insects. Mike's pack and weapons lied there in the mess. Nina fell on her knees, too shocked and hurt to speak. He had died saving her life… Just like that, Mike was gone…

Unable to contain herself, Nina screamed in fury and pain, brutally swinging her fist at the tree. It throbbed after the impact. Corin walked over and held her, his eyes glistening. She gripped him tightly as she had done Dutch when she was six. Jarred seemed at risk of falling apart. Tessera was hiding her face and all the rest could do was stare.

"Let's find the body. We can do a search, he can't be far" Jarred said, starting to walk off.

Pulling herself together, Nina shook her head, speaking quietly, "N-no."

"What? We have to!"

"No. There's no point. The same thing happened to Hawkins, my dad's friend, and they never found his. Mike's gone…"

Another long silence. As if on some silent agreement, the cadets began digging a hole with their bare hands in front of the tree. Without touching anything, they used leaves to pick up what was left of their friend and buried the remains. Once all was done, Corin, Nina, and Jarred cut away the outer bark and carved into the wood of the tree, using it as a grave marker. It read:

MIKE ADAMS

1981-1997

FIGHTER, SOLDIER, FRIEND

WE MISS YOU

The group began trudging their way back up the hill towards camp, taking Mike's supplies with them. The Predators wouldn't think of them coming back to the spring anyway. Nina was the last to go, after carving a cross, gently kissing her finger tips, and placing her hand on his name one final time.

Sain'ja watched the humans leave from above, Mike's corpse hanging upside-down a few trees away so all of the blood would flow out. He had seen and heard everything. A small part of him felt, oddly enough, sorry for them. Definitely for the female who had screamed and seemed in a fit of rage at the time. This was strange, since they were no more than game. Sentient beings, yes, but still game.

He let the feeling go. It meant nothing to him anyway. Sain'ja went off in search of his hunting party. He would need to tell them of his discovery on the humans' tactics.


	6. Chapter 5: The Hounds

Nina was helping Jacob skin the animals from this morning and cook the meat in a small skillet to preserve it into strips. A small fire wouldn't matter at this point. The mud on the cadets' flesh was starting to dry and cake, making it itch unbearably. The others had already started chipping away the clumped dirt off of themselves and reapplying muck, not only to stop the itching, but to allow their minds to concentrate on something else after what they just witnessed. Provisions were divided equally amongst the group, as were matches or extra equipment for those that didn't have certain items.

"That's what we're facing?" Colton finally asked, "That _thing_ just ripped apart Mike in less than a few minutes. Alone. And we're supposed to fight a whole group of them?"

"We're screwed," Tessera said.

"Not if we can find a way out of here. The grounds have to end somewhere, right?" Nina asked, trying to calm everyone down.

Jarred jumped to his feet and flung his pack on the earth, "Will you shut up already, Nina? You're "guidance" on how to deal with these monsters got Mike killed! He would still be here if it weren't for you! And you just expect us to listen to you now?"

Corin got up and grabbed his arms, but he quickly got loose and back away angrily, "She's just trying to help! Why can't you just listen instead of turning your nose away from everything?"

"Because if it weren't for _her, _maybe none of us would be in this mess to start with! _She's _the one with the family connection whose been hunted by these things! For all we know, they just want her and we're the extra sport!"

Now it was Nina's turn to shout, "My fault? My family line!" She stood up and tackled Jarred, pinning him to the ground, "Did I ask for my own _father_ to get killed? Did I ever ask to be abandoned and left alone by everyone I've ever cared about? Did I ever ask to get stuck with an idiot like you for a partner?" she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to face her, then whopped a tremendous punch, dotting him in the eye.

Don and Corin grabbed her tightly and pulled her off of Jarred. She thrashed around in their grasps like a wild animal, consumed with the thought of getting payback for what he just said, fire in her eyes, screaming like a dying creature. Jarred had gotten back on his feet, brushed himself off, and pick up his pack. He headed away from the rest of the group.

"Where the heck are you going?" Nick said, grabbing him by the arm.

"I'm leaving and I'm finding a way out of this alone."

"Are you insane? You'll never make it by yourself!" Chase exclaimed.

"_I'm_ insane? You're the ones following the orders of some psychotic girl!" Nina lunged for him again, only to be blocked by Corin.

The conflict welled up and soon everyone was arguing. It was a mass of chaos. Corin and Don were trying to calm Nina down and hold her back. Nina was attempting to leap over and pound Jarred. Jarred was fighting with Chase, Jacob, and Nick, who were trying to convince him to stay. Tessera and Colton were trying to get everyone to shut up.

It wasn't Tessera and Colton that finally got everyone to fall silent. It was the sound of howling. Not like one of pain from some unfortunate sentient being, but like that of a wolf who just found its prey.

"What the-" The ground shook and dust stirred from afar. Large creatures with long, razor sharp tusks and spikes on their heads and backs raced toward them on all fours. They were almost canine in shape, but had bluish-gray scales and red eyes. The tore apart whatever stood in their path between them and the cadets. Wood flew in different directions as they came.

The cadets' reactions were instantaneous. They grabbed their weapons and opened fire upon the beasts. From multiple, powerful rounds coming from four cadets, one dropped down, but the rest kept coming, unfazed by the waves of bullets.

Sain'ja and the rest of the Youngbloods watched from above. The hounds were excellent when it came to flushing out prey. If they couldn't see the humans, then the hounds would sniff them out. They had followed the cadets' trail for hours. They hadn't expected them to risk coming back to their original camp.

Thankfully, everyone was smart enough to grab their gear, but they began splitting off from one another, retreating to the jungle and firing at the hounds. The hounds moved in different, but effective patterns, blocking some of the cadets from forming a group again. Nina managed to summon up the nerve to call out, "They're trying to split us up! Stay togeth-" she was interrupted as a hound leaped onto her, blocking the passage of air to her lungs as she fell on her back.

The hound gnashed it's fangs at her, trying to tear out her throat. Nina quickly drew out her machete and held it length wise. "Eat this!" The thing bit at the blade instead, its teeth sending small sparks flying onto her. The pressure of the animal jutting its head down, trying to kill her forced Nina to grip the blade her weapon with one hand as the other held the hilt. Saliva coming from the hound's maw dripped onto her. Her own crimson blood slid down her arm as the blade tore into her hand. The scent of it seemed to drive a newfound lust in the hound.

Jarred ran away as fast as his legs could go as two oncoming hounds chased him. One was nearly biting at his heels. Upon seeing a tree with a low enough branch, he jumped up and gripped it, his pistols holstered. A hound bit into his leg, sending a bolt of pain into him. Blood dripped onto the hounds and seemed to enrage them further. He hoisted himself up onto the branch and breathed heavily.

The beasts continued trying to reach him, jumping up with powerful hind legs. Jarred backed into the trunk of the tree and continued climbing until he was far enough away from the creatures. He leg seared with torture and protest at the movement. He yelled with pain and fear.

Once he reached a high enough sturdy branch, he stopped. Jarred looked down to see the creatures still surrounding the tree, waiting for him, and began shaking.

A Youngblood watched him from an adjacent tree, cloaked. Now was the perfect time to strike. He took aim with his shoulder-mounted plasma caster, and fired.

He missed. Startled at seeing the red lights on him, Jarred moved, and the blast it the branch. Now damaged and unable to support his weight, the branch snapped. Jarred tumbled downward, hitting tree limbs on his way, but he couldn't grasp one. He fell to the ground below, badly beaten and out of breath. The hounds attacked him once more without hesitation. His screams could be heard by everyone within the area, but none would be able to reach him in time.

The Youngblood jumped down and whistled. The hounds dashed away obediently as their master approached, waiting a few yards away. He uncloaked and stared at Jarred, who had chunks of skin torn apart and was bleeding heavily. He was still alive- the Youngblood could still see the rise and fall of his chest- but dying slowly.

Jarred looked up at the Predator blurrily. He wondered if the Youngblood would just watch him die like this. He closed his eyes and dared to hope. Softly, he repeated again and again, "Please."

The Yautja was surprised the human could still speak at all, and that when he did in wasn't some insult. He hadn't intended for the human to get hurt and die like this; it was dishonorable and cruel. He had only meant for a quick, clean kill. In answer to the thing's plea, he took out a glaive and quickly pierced it through the male's heart.

Jarred grinned as he saw the glaive, preferring this death to the long and horrid one he know would happen if the Predator had let him be. His mouth went slack and his body relaxed as he died. At least he would see Mike again.

Nina gasped as she fell in a blood soaked heap in a large crevice of a bunch of rocks somewhere in the jungle. She ached everywhere and now, she was alone. It had taken all of her determination to run out of there instead of just passing out near the water. The hound had nearly done her in until there was a long whistling sound and it left her there. However, she hadn't taken that as a good thing, and had run as far as her suffering body would allow.

Leaning her head back outside and holding her hair out of her face, she wretched her meager breakfast. Tears poured down her face. She couldn't stand throwing up. She dug into her pack and with trembling hands drank out of her canteen to cleanse her mouth of the acid taste. The pain in her hand was agonizing. She then yanked out her medkit and applied disinfectant and medicine to the wound, causing it to sting for what seemed to be forever. Nina wrapped her hand in a thick bandage, which only barely stopped anymore blood from bleeding through. The pain began to dull, but she winced whenever she moved.

She had left her parachute material back at camp, so the crevice would have to make do as a natural shelter. She was too tired to make one anyway. Nina scooted as far away from the entrance as possible, pressing her spine against the cold stone. _Maybe I'll get lucky and die in my sleep, _she thought. However, the cuts soon began to clot up, already healing themselves.

Were the others ok, or were they in just as terrible shape as she was…or worse? _Maybe it is all my fault._ She already blamed herself partially for Mike's death, but what if the Predators did want her because of her father and the others were just here to add on to the fun? The offspring of one of the commandos that helped in the death of one of their own probably could prove a good challenge, but how would they know who she was anyway? Could they have been tracking her down all these years, waiting for the right moment? The thought made Nina shudder.

She gripped her father's dog tag for strength. To hold on. To fight back. But right now, mainly for the will to live. Nina tried to shake or pinch herself, wanting to stay awake until nightfall incase more of those…those things came back. She knew quite a bit about the Predators because of Dutch's teachings; however, it seemed he never encountered one of those. That left Nina incapable of knowing just how to protect herself against them. Her body grew limp, and she fell into the embrace of unconsciousness.

All of the hounds save two returned back safely, wounded, but alive. The others had been shot to death because of the cadets, who now wandered aimlessly throughout the jungle without guidance. Except for maybe one.

Sain'ja now believed he knew who the leader of the human team was; a female. However, a strong and stubborn one at that. The one the male he had killed tried to protect. The one he had let live another day. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

He petted one of the hounds, congratulating the brute on a job well done. _You'll get an extra treat tonight, _he thought, smiling. Another one of the Youngbloods dragged a mutilated corpse of one of the human males across the ground. Dropping it on its back, he dug his claws through the skin, ripping out the dead being's spine and skull.


	7. Chapter 6: To Kill with Honor

Morning light dawned over the Youngbloods. They had camped out up in the trees that night rather than heading back to their clan's settlement. They were far too excited in the upcoming hunt; the Adjudicators- Yautja who are the administrators and law enforcers of the clan and who also oversee the training of Youngbloods on occasion- wouldn't mind and would even expect that from them.

Sain'ja was among the first to wake, his goal already set to find the female human leader and end her before she regrouped with the others. He made his way back to the cadet's campsite. Not a soul could be found. The entire place had been abandoned. He found some equipment the humans had left behind; a blanket, some food, a knife, a couple matches. It wasn't long before he spotted a pile of mud and blood stained grass where one of the hounds had attacked the female.

She couldn't have left a clearer trail to follow and it was obvious she had left in a hurry. He followed the path of muck and blood, both of which were beginning to dry up in the approaching sunlight. Sometimes he found places where she must've have tripped and fallen, then had struggled to right herself again. Sain'ja began to worry that maybe the jungle's wildlife might've gotten to her first.

After walking for about two hours, he smelled the stench of vomit that was now heating up. He turned his face away, feeling a little nauseous, but knew she had to be nearby. He spotted the puke by a large rock ledge that was covered with leaves and had many large cracks running through the side of it. There was a large amount of blood coming from one of the crevices.

Bending down to look inside, he spotted her curled up form backed up all the way to the wall behind her. In sleep, she clutched her injured hand protectively, breathing shallowly. Most of the mud had fallen or had been rubbed off during her journey here. Her skin was paler than it had been before, due to the large amount of blood loss she had suffered. Occasionally, the female would stir from whatever dream haunted her or lick her chapped lips thirstily.

He sighed. He couldn't kill her like this, although perhaps it would be more merciful now than if she was awake and kicking. It would be like someone of bad-blood to do such a thing while their prey was too wounded and fatigued to fight back. There was no sport in that kind of kill. Sitting down, he wondered what he would do now. He had never had to deal with prey that was this meek and injured save for when he was hunting for food.

The female's pack was within arm's reach, and Sain'ja pulled it out of the crevice, examining its contents. Her canteen was pretty low, however she still had enough food and medical supplies to last her a few days, if she paced herself and was careful. He looked back at her and decided she might struggle with that, in the condition she had fallen to. He put the pack back where he found it and took her rifle next.

The gun was out of ammo. She must have used it all when she had been fighting the hounds. Sain'ja began busying himself by taking the female's ammo and reloading the weapon. Feeling she would notice the missing bullets from her pack, he replaced them with the ammo he had taken from the male's corpse yesterday. Maybe she could use it for her pistol, which he couldn't get to because it was holstered on her side.

He set he rifle back in place as well, now capable of being fired at a moment's notice. Maybe after she got her rest, she would be ready to put up a decent fight. He climbed up into the trees, camouflaging himself, and waited patiently for her to awaken.

Tessera, Don, and Colton moved exhaustingly, dragging their tired feet behind them. Although none of them had been injured by the hounds, they had kept running all night, wanting to make as much distance between them and the Predators as possible, _and_ their mutated dogs. When they finally did stop, they questioned their ability to fight back if the Predators did come after them.

"Ok…" Don said, panting, "We need to make a new camp…and a new plan."

"But…but what about Nina...and the others?" Colton asked, just as short of breath.

"They're miles away from us by now…We're on our own…until we can turn around and regroup."

"I…I'll find food. I won't go far." Tessera offered helpfully.

Don nodded, working on starting a fire with a pile of tinder, some steel, and flint. Colton sat down by him.

Tessera stayed within a twenty-yard limit, just enough distance so she could race back to the safety of her trio. She looked around, begging with her eyes for there to be some sign of a familiar edible plant or root. About thirty minutes of searching later, she spotted some water vines hanging from a large tree. Her eyes lit up. She took out her knife and was about to cut one of the vines to be certain when she saw a very thick one move. Staying still, she took a closer look. It was a snake, the largest one she had ever seen. Its scales sparkled when they met a glint of light. Tessera's skin turned pale.

It had been awhile since the two boys had heard anything, and both began to grow worried. "Go check on her," Don ordered as he fed the fire to keep it going. Colton got up and headed in the direction of the last place he had seen Tessera.

He didn't come back. Don's heart pounded with fear for his friend and his girl. He stood up, leaving the fire to burn in its small pit. He saw the two standing perfectly still, and with a raised eyebrow started heading over to them.

"D-Don, don't," Tessera whispered. He spotted the snake and froze in place as well. Gulping, he decided to take initiative,

"Ok," he said, just as quiet, "One at a time, you two back up behind me, real slow. Tessera, you first."

At first she took one shaky step, then another. Soon, surely but carefully, she found herself able to move until she was about a yard behind him. Colton followed suit. The snake poked its head out of the vines, balancing itself by gripping onto the tree limb above. It stuck its tongue out at them repeatedly, taking in their scents.

Bravely, Don moved forward. "Don? Don! Get over here!" Tessera said softly, worried.

The snake lunged toward him. Don quickly side-stepped out of the way, drawing his sword and decapitating the thing with one downward swoop. Its body contorted and twisted around on the grass, before finally stopping. The three moved closer to examine the body. It jerked one final time, causing Tessera to shriek. The boys grinned at her, amused. She glared back.

A Youngblood, nicknamed Fox by his fellow Yautja, watched them, recording the event for later. The others had split off to find the other humans. He tried hard not to fall out of the tree laughing at the humans' fear. The snake wasn't poisonous, but could give several nasty nips to its prey or when it felt threatened. He had taken several strikes himself from the very same creature. This one had merely been curious of the trio.

He watched as the humans left and went back to their small fire, which was what had allowed him to find them so easily. He looked back at the snake's corpse, grinning. At least they had caught him breakfast.

Nina woke up, feeling painfully sore and stiff. She longed to fall back asleep and forget everything. To let herself die from starvation in this little crapped space rather than face the beasts that awaited her out there. Her crying out body refused. She pushed herself up a few inches and winced. The top of her head scraped the rock ceiling. Digging into her pack, she took a swig from her canteen, putting it back right after so she wouldn't have to see her pitifully low supply. Nina knew even though it would be difficult, she needed to keep moving. She reached for her rifle after putting on her pack.

It had been reloaded. Nina's eyes widened. Someone had been here. It couldn't be one of the other cadets; they would've revealed themselves by now. The only other sentient creatures she knew were the Predators themselves, but why would they help her? Trying hard not to tremble and fighting the urge to run- not that her body could stand the exertion anyway- she took the rifle and stayed still, trying to spot what might await her from outside.

Sain'ja had spotted her move, so he knew she had finally woken up. He could just see her face; spirited and ready to defend herself, but afraid and exhausted. She had bags under her eyes already. She seemed out of sorts as well, the loss of blood affecting her thinking and rationality as well as her health. It was clear the female didn't plan on going anywhere. She would die in that crevice if he didn't go ahead and kill her, which would be dishonorable. Unless…

He climbed down from the tree and headed back toward the crevice.

Nina could see a bit of space shaking in front of her. It took her awhile before she was able to tell what it was. Gasping, she aimed her rifle. Sain'ja took it by the barrel and jerked it out of her hands, then grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her out of the rocks. She tried squirming from his grip, to no avail, and her throat was too parched too scream.

He kept dragging her until he could hear the sound of rushing water. He loosened his grip on both the female and the gun. She fell for it easily, yanking herself free and taking her weapon back in the process. That's when she began rolling uncontrollably down a steep slope, only having time to click the gun on safety so she wouldn't wind up shooting herself while she tumbled down. Nina soon stopped feeling the solid earth and instead went flying in the air, landing in a river. The current pulled her and she latched onto a boulder jutting out in the middle, coughing and choking. Losing her grip, the river continued to take her away, until finally the current became much calmer and the water level dropped to shoulder height. It took the remainder of her strength to swim to shore. As quick as she could, she raised her waterlogged gun and pointed it around.

Sain'ja watched her, glad that she hadn't drowned. The sole purpose was to get her to a source of water, so she might be able to heal herself properly and then finally once more be called worthy game. He wound up what he had found at the humans' campsite into the blanket and dropped it from his perch, then went off to make his own camp for the day. He had waited for her so long that he had grown hungry. Besides, she'd never be able go far anyway, not unless she wanted to risk dehydration again.

Nina relaxed as there was no second attack. She allowed herself to fall onto the welcomed ground. Lifting her head, she spotted something…manmade? That couldn't be right. Squinting, she recognized it as her parachute material. The Predator must have dropped it when it left her there, but how come? She wasn't anything to be afraid of in comparison. To be honest, people would think she was as gentle and graceful as a butterfly compared to him, and that was saying something.

She limped over and collected the material, finding it heavier than normal. Opening it, she saw it had extra supplies all set in a small pile inside. She picked up the knife, which was small, but had a nice, sharp blade. It fit well in her palm. Not clumsily like her hunting knife was, which had groves instead of a smooth edge. Nina fell onto her back, confused and tired.

Night had fallen again. Colton was supposed to have been taking watch, but was slumped against a tree, sound asleep. A twig snapped and Tessera sat up, lifting her knife and pointing it in different directions. She saw nothing, but Colton's heaved over form. Frowning, she shook him, but he didn't wake up. _Sound sleeper,_ she thought displeased. She guessed it was her turn by now anyway, so she sat up and held her revolver in her lap.

A few moments later, another twig snapped. Finding a deep source of courage within her, Tessera moved towards the noise, holding her gun in both hands in front of her. The fire cast her shadow over Don's face. When it vanished he woke up as well from the return of light to his eyes. Tessera was gone.

"Tessera," he whispered, "Tessera?" No answer.

He went in search of her, his sword slapping his leg as he walked. He gripped a GPMG in his hands. Her heard a stick snap and turned to his right, aiming his gun.

"Don?" A familiar voice asked softly.

"Tessera, it's me. What are you thinking? You shouldn't run off like that," he asked, relieved.

"Don, get over here!" her voice said worriedly.

"Tessera, what's wrong?" he said running toward her.

"Don!" she seemed to cry.

"I'm coming!" he raced for her now, but no matter how much he ran, he only heard her desperate calls for him.

"Tessera? Tessera!" he yelled. Then he heard her shriek. His body tensed up. Then he heard her voice again, much closer now.

"Don?"

He turned, only to face a Predator, who tilted his head and towered above him. Don swore he could feel him smiling at him under that mask. "What did you do to her?" he demanded angrily. In response, Fox mimicked Tessera's voice once more. Before Don could lift his weapon and fire, the Youngblood sliced at his neck with his Smart-Disc, providing a quick and efficient decapitation.

Don's corpse slumped to the ground.


	8. Chapter 7: Duel by the River

Nina sat down in the shallows of the river, where everything below her waist was submerged underneath the water. She didn't know for how long she had slept the night before, but she felt better rested than she had been for the past few days. Currently, she was scrubbing herself free of the grime she had collected on her person over the course of this little adventure, only in her underwear as the rest of her clothing air dried on the bank.

She wondered when she would finally get picked off. She had gotten extremely lucky yesterday, but still, the Predator could've just run her through or choked her to death as soon as he had her out of the rocks. Better yet, he could've just shot her while she was cornered. So why didn't he? _Maybe this is really like a game to him, like a cat playing with its food, _she thought and frowned.

Instead of mud, the ground around the river was solid stone, which was heated up because of the relentless sun. Nina was glad she was able to cool off for even just a little while. Earlier in the day, she must've drunken at least half a gallon of water. Her canteen lay empty with the rest of her belongings, needing to be refilled again. She took out the hair tie and slipped it onto her wrist, then dipped her head down and scratched the dried blood and gunk out of it.

She began pulling away the bandages off of her hand, preparing for what she might see. When it was removed, she discovered the cut was deeper than she had thought and it was beginning to get infected. She walked back to shore and yanked out her medkit, placing more ointment and disinfectant on the cut. When it started to sting, Nina blew on it faintly, then wrapped it back up.

Sain'ja watched her, covered behind a bunch of large leaves and intertwining vines on a branch. She was getting better already, clearly much stronger than the day before. Although, would it still be ok to fight the female with her hand like that? It did seem pretty bad.

For a moment, Nina sat there, cradling her hand. That's when her sixth sense went off, warning her to be vigilant, and that she wasn't alone. She could almost feel another being's presence, watching her. She put the medkit back up and took out some preserved meat strips, nibbling on them as she looked around.

He saw the female looking around. He examined his surroundings as well, but saw nothing. What was she looking for? He hadn't made any sound or movement. Was it possible for her to still know he was there? If so, the human apparently couldn't tell exactly where.

Nina backed up against a nearby tree, where she had the parachute material sprawled out on the ground to make as a thin mat to sleep on. _Might as well get this over with,_ she thought, picking up her machete and using the trunk to help stand herself up. She already knew after this morning that if she stood up too fast, she would feel dizzy and unwell. "I know you're here," she called out, not believing it, but wanting this nightmare to come to an end. "So just come out. I'm ready."

There was no answer. Sain'ja looked at her with mild surprise. _She _does_ know I'm here,_ he thought, amazed. None of his prey had ever found him while he was cloaked before until it was too late.

"Just, come out, please?" she asked quietly. She didn't know what she was expecting, but certainly not dead silence. There still was no answer. Was she losing her mind to trauma? "I'll fight you. I'll play your game. But come out."

He walked a bit further into her view, but very quietly. Was she insane? Challenging a Yautja in her state? It meant death, if not worse for people like her.

Her hands began to shake as she gripped the machete tighter. Her eyes burned from the tears she was fighting back. "QUIT HIDING!" Nina yelled angrily, loud enough to alert the entire jungle of her existence.

_Well, she is- literally- asking for it,_ he thought, questioning whether the female was valiant or just plain stupid. Sain'ja jumped down, landing bent-legged with a loud thud on top of the stone. He uncloaked so she would now he was there. When she saw him, her eyes widened, but she quickly shook it off. He was about a foot taller than her and much more muscular. Pushing herself off of the trunk, she got into a fighting stance, gripping her machete with her good hand.

Sain'ja took off his armor and his weapons, noting how she was just in the bare of her clothes. In the end he just had his loincloth, helmet, and mesh net clothing on. _I'll go easy on her,_ he decided sadly. He had been hoping for a good battle. The only reason he bothered keeping on the helmet was to understand her language and so he wouldn't frighten her away. He knew how most other species saw his kind.

Nina watched him, a little bit embarrassed at this. She remembered Dutch telling her the Predator he fought did almost the exact same thing, but it was still felt awkward. Looking at her own clothing, she blushed slightly, now remembering she was only in her undergarments.

That blush caught his attention and Sain'ja snickered, but didn't even bother to remind her that he had seen more than that skinning some of her kind. She snarled at him, which only caused him to laugh a bit more before readying himself again. He clenched his fists as both pairs of wristblades shot out, then relaxed them again.

Nina watched him, examining his weapons and preparing for the worst. _Well dad, I guess I'll be seeing you sooner than you and Dutch had expected, _she thought, as if she could still speak to him. She breathed in and charged forward, swinging her machete at the Predator's chest.

Sain'ja blocked her attack easily by bringing his arm upward and pushing her back. She stumbled a little before righting herself. He drove his wristblades toward her chest. Nina stuck the machete in between the blades and flipped her own wrist, pushing the blades away from her and locking theirs together.

He wondered how long she would hold out. The female had already needed to grasp the hilt with her injured hand so she wouldn't lose her grip on the weapon. He saw her cringe her teeth as she did so, and knew she was still pretty weak. Why did she waste her time pressing on? She had to mainly be running on pure determination.

Sain'ja moved closer to her as the two tried to unlock their blades, each attempting to gain the upper hand. He kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back into the river. Nina yelped with pain as her bare back scraped against the stone, gashing new wounds, tearing skin, and causing her to bleed. The bacteria in the water stung her as it came in contact with the torn flesh. She had let go of her machete.

He kicked it away so it was out of her reach and came forward. He lifted Nina up by her throat, and she gasped for air. Sain'ja pulled her closer to his face, her feet dangling above the ground. He was about to stab her in the gut to finally end this, when she kicked him in his privates.

He dropped her, caught off guard. _Why that little insect! _He growled in his head, _That was a dirty trick! A dishonorable, bad-blooded, dirty tactic!_

For a second, Nina allowed time to get air back into her crying lungs. Seeing he was still busy with his…situation, she dove for her machete and picked it back up. Sain'ja turned back toward her, now angered. She took off to the jungle, reaching down to grab her pack as she went, with him trailing not far behind.

Nina kept running, knowing he wasn't far behind. She didn't think he would allow her a quick death now. She had to figure something out, and fast. So she decided to use nature to her advantage. She charged even more away from the Predator, saw a springy branch, shoved it as she ran, and let it fly back into place.

_Smack!_

It had the exact effect that she wanted, slinging back and hitting the oncoming Youngblood, who couldn't stop himself in time before it hit him. Maybe the female wasn't so weak after all. She was clever enough to make it this far. His chest stung from the strike, almost as if he'd been whipped. It delayed him, but he continued running after her.

Nina kept going. Her legs ached and she felt her body was ready to give up on her, but she needed to keep moving until she could find some place safe to hide. She heard a whisping sound and all of a sudden she flew into the air upside down, leaving her machete once more out of reach. She had stepped right in a trap that seemed a few months old-probably made by another human who had been hunted earlier- and must have been at least three meters high above the ground. Despite its condition, the rope held together.

Sain'ja smirked as he saw her dangling above him by one foot, gripping the rope with her hands and trying to pull herself free. He figured he might as well help her, and cut the rope closest to him, causing her to fall. Nina landed and the two heard an awful cracking sound. The impact shattered a few bones in her right leg.

Nina winced as she reached out to touch her leg, now knowing she couldn't go anywhere. She closed her eyes and turned her face away. Sain'ja had stepped forward, his wristblades inches from her heart, when he noticed it. She still had her father's dog tag around her neck. Nina had never once taken it off since she got here. Intrigued by the strange piece of jewelry and by the fact that someone her age was wearing one- he had seen full grown human corpses from their armies wearing the same things- he took a closer look, yanking it front her neck.

Feeling the cold metal leave her skin, Nina looked up to see the young Predator standing directly in front of her, holding her dog tag in his hand. She glared at him, not wanting him to be touching the one item that still connected her to her past. She never even had let the other cadets touch it, or even _see_ it. It was something for her life only now. "Give that back!" she demanded, feeling defensive.

Sain'ja only glanced at her. She had no bargaining power to demand _anything _at the moment. He resumed examining the tag. Shocked, he dropped the thing as if it would give him the plague then backed away. Right into another trap.

He fell into a deep pit that had been covered with fallen leaves, vines, and sticks tied together with old rope. At a time, there once had been wooden spikes at the bottom, but over time they too had worn away and rotted, becoming far less deadly than they had originally been. The few the still remained struck his calf, cutting it. Sain'ja hit the back of his head and dazed in and out of consciousness for a bit.

Nina, half dragged-half crawled herself over to the pit, now once again holding her machete and wearing her necklace, gripping it protectively. With a lot of effort, she climbed herself down. The Predator was still alive. She drew her blade up, ready to end his life as he would've done hers, and found that she couldn't do it.

She fought with herself. Her father would have done it. Any of the other cadets would have done it. Dutch would have done it if the Predator he fought hadn't blown himself up, and what if this one tried the same trick? She wouldn't be able to get away in time. So, why couldn't she? Wasn't she just as strong as her father had been emotionally?

She looked at the Predators wounds and saw why she couldn't; it was because it wasn't right. He was hurt, and she was hurt earlier, he would've killed her, if- Nina remembered all the help and supposedly "dumb luck" she had gotten before all of this. With this sickening realization, she dropped her machete.

Without really knowing it, Nina began digging into her pack, taking out her medkit. Gently she placed her pack underneath his head for support, praying he wouldn't snap out of it. She got to work on healing his calf, rubbing ointment and disinfectant on it, blowing on the wound softly so it wouldn't sting, just as she would her own. Next, she began bandaging it up.

Sain'ja wondered what was going on. He could hear just fine, but his vision sometimes dotted with little black spots from almost passing out. That's when he felt the human's small hands on his skin. She was careful though. What was she doing to him? He felt a sharp sting on his wound, but a cool air almost right afterwards. He felt the bandage being wrapped around his leg.

Nina carefully removed the pack from him again once she checked to make sure he hadn't hit himself too hard in the head, and then limped over to the wall of the pit, reaching up to grab a hanging vine.

She wasn't even able to attempt climbing up as she felt the Predator grab her top and flip her over to face him, pinning her to the wall. He tilted his head over to the side after looking both her and himself over. _He wants to know why._

She searched her heart for an answer. Why did she do it? She could've just very well left him there. It wasn't a serious or fatal wound and even if then his friends could've found and helped him.

"Maybe I'm a bit more than what you give me credit for; more than just game," was all she could say.

Sain'ja thought about her answer. Nina guessed it hadn't been the one he wanted, because her world went black.


	9. Chapter 8: Bordering Death

Corin sat helplessly, trying to console Chase, who was shaking like a leaf. Ever since being attacked by the River Ghost, and then the hounds, he hadn't been right in the head. One of them had nearly torn his arm off. He was lucky to still be alive. _I guess, _thought Corin miserably. He didn't actually know if being alive in this mess was such a good thing after all.

He hated seeing his friend in this state; so spastic and always on the verge of a breakdown. He had given Chase his thermal blanket, so he could help control himself. Chase seemed content twisting it around in his hands and biting down on it whenever it suited him. It was certainly an improvement over him screaming and jerking around all of the time.

Adahy was dealing with the same problem Sain'ja had; figuring out what prey could be considered worthy game that was honorable to kill. He knew the male that looked like he was about to come apart wouldn't be even need to be questioned, but what about the other? The other was healthy, strong, and sane, but would the first male die as well if the second were to be killed? Is he dependent on the latter? If so, then he could touch neither. He could perform an entertaining test to find out.

Adahy pulled out a large metal pole from his waist, pressed a button, and out of the pole's sides came two long large blades, forming a spear. With well-trained precision, he tossed it so it would stick into the adjacent tree. Right above the heads of the two males.

When the pair saw the spear flying, both unnecessarily ducked. The spear lodged itself into the tree with so much force it also buried itself all the way to the center. Corin jumped to his feet and grabbed his gun, pointing it around and holding out his hand to gesture for Chase to stay behind him and get down. Adahy climbed down until he was hanging just a few inches from the still standing male. With one hand holding the branch, he reached down and picked Corin up by the back of his shirt. He was actually pretty easy to pick up.

Corin struggled in Adahy's unknown grasp. Soon he felt himself being lifted up into the tree and dropped his gun below. He would've shouted for help if he knew there was any, so instead he kept fighting back at whatever had grabbed him. He reached a fork in the tree when the force finally let him go, setting him down there. Corin grabbed hold of the trunk in order not to plummet to his death.

Chase had backed away to the other tree, pressing his spine firmly against it, too out of it to even consider grabbing either his or Corin's weapons. Instead, he held the blanket tight against his chest like a toddler might do. Leaves scattered as Adahy jumped to the ground two feet in front of him. Adahy uncloaked, staring at Chase.

He begin screaming instantly, until he remembered what Corin had instructed him to do and began biting down hard on the blanket, closing his eyes, rocking back and forth feebly, and screaming into it. Adahy rolled his eyes under his helmet. _Yep_, _he'll definitely need some help, won't last a day otherwise._ He recloaked and left again, figuring the stronger male could get back down on his own, smiling about freaking out the pair.

Chase was really starting to lose it, figuring Corin was killed and he was alone. Then all of a sudden, he heard, "Umm? Up here." Corin hung by his arms, trying to make it back on the ground.

_Nina felt a cool, gentle breeze on her face. She smelled and felt fresh grass, not rough and sharp like in the jungle, but like some that was in a meadow from a fairy tale. One by one, she cracked open her eyes to look up at a clear, blue sky. One that was just like on…Earth._

_She sat up, wondering what was going on. What had happened? Was it true? Was she back home? Nina looked at herself. She was six again, her hair a little shorter and her body back to its small, meek size that she had before at that age. She had forgotten how the world seemed so big when you were so tiny. She was wearing a simple, light blue T-shirt, denim shorts, and light up sneakers. She stomped one foot one the ground and grinned when she saw that they worked. Looking at her skin, she noticed all of her wounds had vanished. Her leg wasn't broken anymore and she felt perfectly fine._

Is…Is this what it's like to die? _she thought. She pinched herself, but felt no pain. _

"_Nina!" A strong, male voice called out to her. Nina looked up and her heart stopped. It was her father, cleansed of gore and scars, wearing a white shirt and cargo shorts, smiling at her just from the edge of the woods. She recognized the place now. It was the same forest she would run and play in as a child. _

"_D-dad?" she asked quietly, her throat tightening up. He nodded, his eyes shining down at her. Nina ran to him, crying tears of joy. He kneeled down and hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead again and again. She had missed that embrace so much for so long, but never forgot it. He was strong and solid, but very gentle at the same time. They stayed like that in silence for a while. Billy was the first one to finally stand up and let go._

_He took his daughter's hand and started leading her through the woods. "Everyone's waiting for you. Your mother, your friend, Mike, and all of the gang. Well, except for Dutch, he hasn't made it yet."_

_Nina surprised herself by saying, "He was always the odd one out." Her father laughed._

_As they walked, they hopped over the creek, listened to the sounds of birds, and best of all at midway, saw a familiar tree house._

"_Can we play? Please?" Nina begged, forgetting everything and already feeling welcomed and at home. Billy smiled down at her. The rest of them were longing to see Nina again, but it had been years since he'd had the chance to actually see her face in person and touch her once more. He couldn't deny her this and was looking forward to it himself. Besides, now they had all the time in the world. He nodded, racing her to the tree house._

_Everything was exactly how it had been years ago; There was a pair of binoculars by the cut out window that her father had gotten her for her birthday when she was five, so she could play "Look Out Scout," a game he had invented so she could pretend to be a recon soldier. She would have to spot things with them that he had hidden around the woods, and then he would go and get them for her as her "army". The walls were covered with drawings of butterflies and animals she had stuck up there with thumb tacks. A few Barbies and stuffed animals rested in one corner. The floor was covered with a soft, green rug. _

_She went down the connected slide, done with reminiscing for now, and her father caught her in his arms when she reached the bottom, tickling her softly and making her giggle. The two went over to the wooden swing he had built for her as a toddler, and he pushed her in it, obliging whenever she would ecstatically shriek, "Higher, higher!"_

_Nina had missed moments like this, never thinking she would feel someone's gentle caress again, never really wanting to let anyone in after losing so many people in her life. Now, for the first time in forever, she felt, well, happy._

_They never tired or fell short of breath, but eventually decided it would be best to go on ahead to their old house. Nina admitted to herself that she was genuinely curious of what her mother looked like, having been too young to see her other than in photos. She failed to recall what Dillon looked like either. He had left earlier than the others because he had joined the CIA after exiting the military the first time._

_They got to the house and it too was exactly so. And her father had been right; everyone was there, but Mike. After many more hugs and kisses, she asked what had happened to him. They told her he had gotten bored just waiting and said he would come back to visit her later. By now he should be off somewhere with Jarred._

_Nina's mother was a picture of beauty. Every feature on her face and body seemed perfect, a true angel inside and out. She had baked some cookies that were still warm and soft. Even though no one had to eat anymore here, she still enjoyed cooking. _

_Blain and Mac kept passing a bottle of liquor to one another as they told Nina firsthand of some of their favorite adventures. They were scolded by both her parents when they offered her a swig from the bottle, but they shrugged it off, reminding them that since they were all dead it wasn't going to do anything to Nina. Eventually they gave up and she was allowed a small sip, but never took a second one. The liquor had an odd, burning taste that made her pucker up as if she had bitten into a sour lemon. Everyone standing on the porch burst into laughter upon seeing the look on her face. "That's my girl!" he father exclaimed, glad to see his child wouldn't be drinking, even if it gave her no terrible effects here._

_Poncho and Billy played with Nina in the yard, while the others talked. Hawkins kept on trying to get Dillon and her mom to laugh at his jokes, which her father said he rarely accomplished. Nina had been sitting in her father's lap, telling her own stories about when she was alive, when suddenly everyone frowned at her. She wondered if it was because she had been killed by a Predator like most of them here had._

"_What's wrong?" she finally asked._

_No one said anything. Some of them gave sorrowful and sympathetic looks her way. Poncho made a cross gesture around his face and chest. Finally, Nina's mother spoke up, "It would be best of you told her."_

_Nina looked up at her father, who was staring at her sadly, "Alright," he finally whispered. He picked her up and carried her to her room. She had just caught a glimpse of Poncho waving goodbye and her mother cupping her hands in her face before the backdoor closed behind them._

_Billy carried his daughter too her old room and set her on the bed, covering her up with a fleece blanket and having her lay down. "Daddy, what's wrong?" Nina asked again. He sat beside her, trying to find the right way to put this, and stroking her arm._

_Sighing, he let it out, "You're going back Nina."_

"_What?"_

_He nodded his head slowly._

"_But…but I don't want to. Why can't I stay with you?"_

"_Because it isn't your time yet. You've still got a long life ahead of you. And someone over on that side is trying hard to make sure you come back."_

"_But I'm already dead. No one can bring back the dead."_

"_Nina, your life has been fading in and out. Between this world and that world. You were weak and injured before, and now you're beginning to lose your will to live." When she didn't respond this time, he hugged her. "Baby girl, I love you, and I want you with me as much as anyone else here does, but now's not your time. You'll see."_

_She looked up at him, "Who's trying to bring me back anyway?" she asked in a clearly annoyed tone._

_He chuckled. She did have his spirit. "Guess you'll have to go back over and find out."_

_Nina crossed her arms, not wanting to go back. She wanted to stay here with her family, not return to the place where killers waited for her at every corner. _

"_We'll see each other again, I promise," her father said, sitting up and leaning over, kissing her on the forehead, "And remember; just as always, I'll be watching."_


	10. Chapter 9: Unwanted Help

_I'll be watching._

Her father's final words kept echoing in her mind. Nina had vaguely remembered closing her eyes when he had kissed her. The world around her had disappeared, turning into one in which neither light nor sound could penetrate it. An ever flowing and surrounding darkness.

Sain'ja watched the human female, who was now asleep against a tree, her arms dangling from a rope hanging above her, breathing shallowly. He had almost lost her a couple of times; their fight earlier had zapped what little remainder of strength she had. He wondered why the female had helped him instead of just trying to escape in the first place. When he questioned her on it, she had only given a short, delaying response, perhaps unsure herself.

_Maybe, I'm a bit more than what you give me credit for; more than just game,_ she had said before falling at his feet, unconscious. Sain'ja had gripped her neck too tightly, stopping the passage of air to her brain and lungs. A human being more than just game? It was a rare thing, and even then,_ if_ humans were accepted, it was just with tolerance mixed with a small ounce of respect. The only use those soft meats gave the Yautja other than sport was to be the hosts for Chestbusters whenever their reproduction was needed for Xenomorph hunts.

The only reason he had let the female live-or so he told himself- was because in the Yautja Honor Code, anytime a prey showed mercy to a hunter during a fight, they were supposed to be treated the same. And so far, considering he had hurt her throat, knocked her out, and tied her to a tree so she wouldn't try to go anywhere or harm herself further, he had been doing a poor job at obeying that rule. The female moaned hoarsely. She would wake up soon.

Sain'ja had all his armor and weapons on him again. After securing the human to the tree by nailing a stake into the bark where the ropes holding her were tied, he had gone back to the human's camp by the river and collected both of their items. He didn't think she would be thrilled sitting around with barely anything on.

When Nina finally did open her eyes, she had a severe headache. Shaking it off, she looked to find ropes tying her arms above her head. She couldn't break free. Then she noticed the Predator sitting on a fallen log about thirty yards away, staring at her. She opened her to insult him and found she couldn't speak. She glared at him for not only capturing her, but muting her as well.

He got up and walked to Nina, than sat down beside her. He reached over to feel her throat and see just how bad he had damaged it. Sain'ja noticed her flinch at his touch and froze. When she relaxed, he resumed carefully stroking her neck and about midway Nina cringed from pain. She glared at him and spat on his helmet in defiance. Before he could stop himself, he smacked her across the face, making her cough up a little blood in the process. Her cheek started turning red from the impact. So far, their relationship was going off at a rocky start. He would have to control his temper if she was going to listen.

He then gently checked the female's leg for where her bones might've gotten out of place or completely snapped. Nina didn't enjoy him doing this, feeling it was not only an invasion to her space, but weird. Why was he being so careful with her? He had tried to gut her alive that last time she had been conscious. Either way, she still didn't trust him. She never would. Seeing her father again made her know just how much she missed him. Now she had someone to blame for his and the other's deaths.

Sain'ja took out his own set of medical supplies, knowing hers wouldn't have a brace inside it. Seeing the foreign devices, her eyes widened and she tried to pull her leg away from him. He looked back at the set and noticed most of them were sharp and metallic, meant for prying bullets out of skin and other surgical needs. He could see why she was a bit nervous when he had gotten them out searching for a brace, but then again he was practically a walking arsenal already.

He tightened his grip around her leg so she wouldn't try to pull it away from him again. It seemed the human just couldn't grasp that he was trying to _help_ her. Once he finally got the brace on her, the pair stared at one another. Nina, trying to read his thoughts behind that mask. Sain'ja wondering if maybe now she was beginning to understand.

He wiped away the blood that was drizzling out of her mouth and down her cheek. _What now? _The female was his responsibility, he knew that much, but it wasn't like he had been trained to take care of anyone. That was women's work. He especially didn't know how to that care of anything from another _species._

He decided he should at least try to get some food into her first. He took out the human's canteen and opened the cap, holding it to her lips. Nina looked at it suspiciously. It had been refilled, but for all she knew he might have poisoned it. She turned her face away.

_Seriously? _He put the canteen down and tried that same thing with a piece of rations, and got the same reaction. Was she trying to starve herself? Seeing no way this would work otherwise, he shoved it in her mouth, force feeding her. Sain'ja covered her mouth with his hand until she chewed and swallowed. Then he tilted her head up and poured water down her throat, however a lot of it just ran down the sides of her face. He repeated this process until she finally gave up and obeyed whenever he offered her something to eat or drink.

Nina glared at him the entire time. This was humiliating as well as enraging. Her throat was feeling a little better, but she didn't know what she would say even if she could speak. She was tempted to asking him why he wanted to keep her alive so badly now, but figured she'd never get an answer.

Sain'ja felt defensive when he noted her glaring at him. She never took her eyes off of him, rarely even blinking. It was obvious the female hated him. Well, at least that was one mutual thing they had in common. Still, it was foolish of her to express it so when he held her right to live in his hands. The human would never know about the Honor Code, so he was still considered a threat in her eyes. Maybe he could scare her into cooperating.

He took the ropes holding her wrists and flipped her around so her back was facing him and she was pinned against the tree. The female yelped with pain as her broken leg was turned because of the movement, but he ignored it. Slowly, as though sealing an ideogram of a death sentence, he ran one hand down her shoulder blades down to the end of her spine, making clicking sounds which terrified most other prey. Sain'ja dug his claws not even a few millimeters through her skin, just so she knew what he was capable of doing.

Nina remained still, feeling his claws latched on her. She knew what he could do alright; he could use his claws like a bunch of knives and yank her spinal cord and connected skull out with very little effort. Whatever remained of her corpse would loosely hang there like a de-boned fish. Rather than showing any fear, however, she managed to hatefully choke out a few words, "Screw you."

Sain'ja was a bit taken aback by her response. Normally, anyone else would be begging for mercy by now. He let go of her and went back to the medical supplies. He had almost forgotten about the multiple, long scratches she had on her back from when he threw her across stone. Now she was bleeding again from where he had cut her just now. He cleansed the wounds then began to rub some strong smelling ointment onto them.

Nina bit down on her lower lip when she felt something wet and gooey being put on her, and then it began stinging like crazy. It was as if her entire back had been caught on fire. Eventually, the stinging began to dull and feel more icy and numb.

This particular ointment hadn't come from her pack. It was some of the medicine Yautja often carried for minor wounds. It would heal most cuts pretty quickly and within a few hours it would be like nothing ever happened to begin with. He could see it already working. After wrapping bandages around her torso and abdomen, he tried to make up for hurting her by this time gently turning her over and setting her in a comfortable sitting position. Carefully, so he knew she wouldn't try to escape or fight him, he began removing the ropes that held her.

Nina wondered what he was planning on doing to her now. She felt the ropes that bound her hands loosen slightly, than a bit more. She didn't move, afraid that he might change his mind about freeing her. Quietly sighing with relief, her arms slipped through and landed in her lap.

Sain'ja quickly took her arm. This was the calmest the human had been since he found her, other than when she was asleep. Some prey would act like that just to surprise their opponents with a sudden strike or blow. He wouldn't be shocked if she tried the same trick.

When she didn't do anything, he slowly reached out to take her injured hand and put the ointment on that as well. She jerked it away from him, holding it protectively. Gaining her gratitude and faith was no easy task. He gestured for her to let him see it instead of just grabbing it this time. After a moment, hesitatingly, she nodded and reached her hand back over to him.

He unwrapped the bandages around her hand and saw the infection in the deep cut. He would need to open it back up if it was to properly heal rather than give her blood poisoning. Sain'ja cleaned it, then took out a small, sterilized knife. Nina's eyes widened, but Sain'ja held on tighter, motioning for her to be still. He opened the wound up and cleaned away the puss and filth that had collected in it. Next he smoothed the ointment on and wrapped clean, new bandages around her hand.

Nina watched in awe as she saw how he healed her and how the medicine almost instantly took effect. For someone who was as destructive and murderous as he, it was amazing how well he had patched her up. Sain'ja saw the look on her face and took that as a good sign.

Standing back up, he leaned down and pulled her clothes out of the pile of her belongings, then tossed them to her. She caught the wad of balled up clothes and began slipping them on. It was a little bit difficult for her to put on her pants with one leg injured, but she eventually managed to do it. Sain'ja refused giving her her other shoe until her leg was healed enough.

Later that night, Nina had fallen asleep, as was to be expected by him. Sain'ja had left and returned with a large bird a bit smaller than a turkey, waking her up so she could pluck its feather's off while he got a fire going. Everything felt awkward and strange to both of them, and they ate their following meal in silence, but at least they weren't at each other's throats this time.

When they rested for the night, Sain'ja went on and on in his head on what to do with the female. He had seen the female bristle with anger when he had killed her friend. His hunting party had unleashed hounds on her and the other humans. He had attempted to kill her at least twice now. There's no way she would stay among them, and he didn't want to watch her anyway. He needed help on what to do. Tomorrow, he decided, he would take her to the clan leaders.


	11. Chapter 10: Jungle Hunter Clan Leaders

Tessera was in mourning after Don's disappearance. She had arrived back at camp, had just decided the noise she had heard had been nothing, only to come back to a sleeping Colton and Don missing from his spot on the earth he had laid on just moments before. Had she stayed, she might've known what had become of him and had been less heartbroken.

She had kicked Colton in the side, waking him up instantly and the two had searched for their lost comrade. The only things they found were his weapons. Tessera had doubted he would've just left her to face everything alone. He had never been like that. It just wasn't in his nature.

Currently, she stood on one side of a wide gorge, looking down at the hundreds of feet drop below her. She had lied to Colton, telling him that she was going to collect water after their several mile hike uphill to get away from their last campsite. In reality, she had just needed time alone. Time to shed a few tears for her lover.

They had their whole lives planned back home. After Don exited the National Guard, he was to join her in quiet life. Somewhere peaceful and nice, where they could start a family and live happy. He was so kind, sweet, and faithful to her. To be honest, he was the only one she had dared to trust with her secrets and dreams, knowing he would never laugh, or criticize, or tell the next person he came in contact with. Now, everything was gone.

Fox watched the female. She had been standing like that for about an hour, doing absolutely nothing. It seemed irrational for a prey who knew she had to be on the run to act like this. Besides that, the male she was with would come soon if he didn't act fast. He was just about to pounce for the kill, but his movements rattled a nearby bird's nest, scaring its inhabitants who made desperate, scared tweeting sounds and flew away in fear. _Dang it!_

The birds caught Tessera's attention. She looked over in the direction of Fox's perch and grabbed her pistol, pulling it out with rapid speed and quickly firing off to shots. They barely missed him, passing by a few, short inches. He might as well uncloak now. He jumped down from the branch and took out his Smart-Disc, revealing himself to the human.

Tessera stood there, shocked and afraid. She kept firing at the Predator, but they seemed to have little effect on him, even when she scored several shots in the chest. He was advancing and fast. Her legs shook and she nearly froze in terror. This just wasn't right. _He should be dead by now! _He kept coming with ease. Her skin started turning ghostly pale.

What to do? Run? No, he looked like he would catch up with her in mere seconds in the cruel weapon in his hands didn't. She backed up as far as she could go, still firing and still failing to stop the oncoming brute.

Her heels came it connect with the cliff, sending a few pebbles down into the gorge. Tessera looked down at the earth, her attention split just in time for Fox to get the drop on her. He ran towards her at full speed. Panicking, she did the only thing she could do to save her from a bloody demise. She jumped.

Tessera saw everything from her life flash before her eyes as she fell to her death, and a smile played on her lips. _That's right you thug! If anything, at least this is how I choose for it all to end. You won't get any satisfaction from me. _She closed her eyes, waiting for the fall to end. For everything to end.

Fox had had just enough to time attempt to skid to a stop as her saw the female dive into the gorge, but not soon enough. He slipped right off of the edge with just enough time to flip himself around and grab hold. His body dangled as gravity mercilessly tried to yank him downward. He activated his wristblades and jammed them into the ground, pulling himself back up onto his stomach and rolling onto his back.

He looked back over the edge. The female soft meat was long gone. There were no ledges or breaks in the rock wall for her to have landed on instead. He was just about to go after the male when his wrist communicator beeped to life. He opened it up and a hologram of another Youngblood appeared; Adahy. It was time to regroup for a short while and report to the clan on how things were going so far. To think things were just starting to get a little more interesting right now too.

Shaking his head and getting back on his feet, he went in search of the rest of the hunting party.

Sain'ja had awoken before sunrise. Now, he carried a once more knocked out human female in his arms. She was surprisingly lightweight for her strong build. She had her head tilted on his chest. He had realized pretty quickly that he liked her much better when she was asleep, unable to talk back or wrestle with him on just about everything. Were all human females as incredibly closed minded and hard-headed as she was? If so, than he pitied the males of her species and what they must go through. Women of his kind were usually much larger than the men, and just as equally respected, but they took care of the children and mainly stayed at home on _their choosing._

Her stubbornness was just the reason he made sure to get up earlier than her and inject a serum into her bloodstream, so she would be out for about eight to twelve hours. That suited him just fine. He preferred that than her thrashing around in his hold, demanding where they were going and why he was taking her there. Silently, he thanked the Gods for allowing there to be knock-out drugs in existence.

He been walking for about four hours when he got the message from Adahy to regroup, setting the human down so she wouldn't be seen in the hologram. Sain'ja had told them that he was close enough to the settlement and that he'd meet them there. Personally, he just didn't want them to know about him being stuck with this…this _thing_.

He had just seen the top of the electrified fence through the denseness of the trees. Guards would be posted here and there around it to make sure wild animals and prey alike wouldn't sneak in somehow. Luckily, he knew their posts like the back of his hand, having snuck out sometimes in his childhood to explore the jungle alone. He slipped through one of the closest routes to his home and remained undetected. No one had seen him enter the grounds.

At first, there was just a bunch of trees and vines like the rest of the jungle. Then they began passing the first signs of Yautja civilization; a few marked posts with his people's elegant writing inscribed on it, the occasional fire pit, places where prey was to be skinned. Yeah, he was definitely glad the human wasn't awake to see that last thing.

Finally, he got to a one-story adobe building; his home. Even though the walls were made of brick and clay, there were telltale signs of heightened advancement and evolution; pieces of technology intertwining with the stone and other details such as ray-shielded windows and keypads. Pressing a button near the back door and scanning the area for witnesses, he heard a thankful swoosh and stepped into the temperature regulated structure, quickly closing the door back behind him. For not the first time in his life, he was glad that he lived alone.

The first room was both a kitchen and a parlor. Trappings of his clan's symbol, with images of their greatest legends and battles decorated the walls, along with a few skulls and other bones from previous kills. A fire pit sat in the center of the rock floor. Around it was mats and fur covered skins for people to sit on whenever he did have visitors over, commonly just a couple of the other Youngbloods he had known for a time.

Placing the female down on one of the mats, he removed his helmet and set it over on a small table near the wall. He removed some of his other armor and placed their belongings in a corner. With a sigh, he headed out the front, thinking of how he would word all of this.

When he reached the Temple of Zazin Kv'var-de, where the clan leaders resided, he was immediately blocked off by two guardians with Combisticks until he stated his purpose. Sain'ja merely told them that he wished to ask for guidance. One strode off, then came back to tell him his request had been granted and that he may pass. He nodded and moved in, quickening his pace from nervousness and almost losing what he had thought out in his head to say.

One of the clan leaders, who was an Elder as well, saw Sain'ja approaching and grinned. Sain'ja had always been an excellent student, never failing during training or hunts, listening to his teachers' orders, eager to one day prove himself to be a true hunter. Whatever the lad had to say would have to be of some importance, or else he wouldn't have bothered them like he had.

Sain'ja kneeled, bowing before them all. Each sat on varying thrones and looked at him with interest. _"Rise, young Sain'ja,"_ one of them said at last, _"why is it that you come forth to us this day?"_

He stood up, _"Mighty leaders, I come for guidance. During the recent hunt that I gladly accepted, I discovered an Ooman female among our quarry. She had challenged me at one point in melee combat, and in the end ran from the fight. I pursued and both of us fell into traps I believe had been set by another prey a long time ago. I was injured and stunned in mine, so she had gained the upper hand. However, rather than impaling me with her blade, the Ooman spared and healed me. Now I am unsure what to do with her."_

The clan leaders stared at him in disbelief. Never in many years had something like this happened, certainly not during a Youngblood hunt, so it came as a surprise to all of them. During the silence, Sain'ja showed them his leg, which still had the female's medicine and carefully wrapped bandage on it, as evidence. It was obvious it hadn't been his handiwork and that this was all some sort of joke. Finally, another leader asked, _"Is the Ooman with you now, or did you hide her in the jungle?"_

"_She is in my home, safe."_

"_Not for long if she manages to break out and gets lost in the settlement."_

"_I assure you; I will not let that happen. I slipped her a small dose of a sleeping drug this morning and she shouldn't awaken for another hour or so."_

At least that came as a relief, _"Well, you know the Code, Sain'ja. That Ooman is now to be treated as an equal by you. If you end her life, you must end yours as well. Is that understood?"_

He bowed his head, _"Yes, my leaders, but she is stubborn and strong-willed. She even resisted help when first given it. I am unsure if __**she**__ will understand. Is it possible for her to be returned to her homeworld, so it is guaranteed that she won't become as issue?"_

The clan leaders looked at one another, murmuring on this. _"We shall see. If your request is accepted, we shall send her on the next ship back to Earth when they leave to pick up new prey for the following season."_

Sain'ja bowed, getting ready to turn and leave when the Elder stopped him, _"Sain'ja, is there more you wish to explain. More you are not telling us?"_

He paused and turned back around. This Elder had always managed to see right through whatever emotional mask a being had in order to hide their thoughts and feelings. _"No, my Elder. It is nothing to be concerned of."_

The Elder smirked at the Youngblood before him and nodded in the direction of a separate hallway, _"Then I trust you are not too busy to speak with me alone for a brief moment?"_ He stood.

Sain'ja nodded, his words now stuck in his throat. He followed the Elder down the hall until they came to a separate enclosure.

"_There's more to this story, isn't there? What is it?"_

He paused before answering, _"There's something she must know. Not only just about us. She had this,"_ Sain'ja showed the Elder Nina's dog tag allowing him to read the inscription. Yes; this was strange. It was all too familiar and exact.

He nodded slowly; now understanding Sain'ja's want to keep this a private matter. _"I see,"_ he handed him back the dog tag, _"Once you have reported to your instructors and the rest of your hunting party returns for a few days, I want you to leave with them and continue with the hunt. If you don't mind, I'd like to see this Ooman for myself."_

"_Yes, my Elder, but Dto-Raija can be very uncooperative. She-" _he froze in mid-sentence when he realized what he just said and noticed a smirk on the Elder's face.

"_Dto-Raija?"_

He nodded.

"_You actually __**named**__ it."_

He looked down, slightly embarrassed now, then nodded, _"I figured if I have to take care of her, I should call her something."_

"_Try to remember she isn't a pet you would be able to tame, not that you would be allowed to keep her from the start. She'll be on her way home soon."_

"_Yes, my Elder." _

"_Good, now go wait for friends. I'll head to your home and keep an eye on her for you."_

Sain'ja bowed once more and left. The Elder alerted the guards and the others of his leave and made his way out of the Temple.

Nina woke up, feeling groggily, and looked around, startled when she saw the pelts and mounted skulls around her. How long had she been out? She examined herself closely and saw a small place where a needle had punctured her flesh. She had been drugged! So where did the Predator take her to this time?

She spotted her supplies in the corner and was tempted to grab her rifle, but felt for sure if he came back, he would shoot her without a second thought before she even had it pointed at him. So instead she waited, rubbing one hand on the furs and poking the spot with the needle mark until it bruised a bit. Looking up, she spotted the Predator's helmet sitting on a table and stared at it. It seemed just as cold as when he wore it.

Suddenly the front door zipped sideways and in came a tall being that loomed over her ominously. In stepped a Predator, much bigger than the one that had hunted her had been. He seemed older too, much more knowledgeable, but just as violent. He didn't have a mask on.

It was easy to put Dutch's words together with the Predator's appearance, but no matter what, hearing and seeing things were very different cases. It took all her nerve not to stare in utter shock. She didn't think it would help solve her dilemma in the slightest and only backfire on her if she did.

The Elder looked at the human female, just as surprised. He hadn't been expecting a hardened veteran of war, but definitely more than _this._ She was practically a runt. _This _was the soft meat that had caused Sain'ja so much trouble? He almost burst with laughter at the thought.

He noticed her staring at him just as curious. "Hello," he said in the human's language, getting a kick out of her eyes widening at the fact she could understand him. During his many hunts, he had found it useful to learn the languages of other creatures when he wasn't wearing his mask, which had a language-translator built in.

"Hello," Nina ventured cautiously.

"Glad to see you're up. Do you mind talking for a little while?"


	12. Chapter 11: Temple of the Fallen

After finding something that would improvise as a decent crutch, the Elder led Nina out of Sain'ja's home and through the Jungle Clan's settlement. It was obvious she wouldn't get far in she tried to run on that leg, so there was no worry about her getting into any kind of trouble and winding up dead. The problem would be if she was ever found alone in the tribe.

It was easy to see just how young she was whenever she stood up; she didn't even come up to his shoulder height. She was nearly a head shorter than Sain'ja and the other Yautja adolescents who would be around her age mature wise. No one that was any older who had some self-respect would think to hurt her anyway as defenseless as she was right know.

Nina walked/limped right behind him. If it weren't for the multiple signs of technology and the occasional ships passing overhead, she would've thought she had walked back through time into the ancient Mesopotamian period. There were multiple stone buildings and statues of Predator warriors from the long ago. Temples that stood hundreds to thousands of feet high towered over the other structures. The size of everything made her feel like an ant in someone's house.

As they walked, Nina would spot out of the corners of her eyes other Predators looking their way. She wished they wouldn't stare at her, and would've preferred staying and waiting for the one that took her here to begin with. She knew he wanted her alive, just not why, but it was more she could say about him than the others surrounding her.

The Elder also saw the curious glances their way, but one look from him told them it was nothing they would need to get involved in. He looked behind him to spot the human female look around as if a hidden threat might pounce on her at any moment. It was clear to him that she was a bit nervous, and why shouldn't she be after everything? Still, none of that would get her to open up.

Trying to spark up some conversation in order to calm her nerves, he asked, "So, what do the call you where you're from?"

"Nina," she said softly.

"Nina," he repeated, "Hmm." He preferred Sain'ja's name for her a lot more. "And what do you do back at home?"

"I'm in military school."

That intrigued him, "Oh? And your parents?"

"Dead."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

They continued walking in silence. The Elder finally stopped when they came to one of the most extravagant temples Nina had ever seen- not that she had visited any in real life, but that's what history books were for. Outside of the steps that led in was a pair of giant statues of Cetanu, the Black Hunter. The God of Death. The one who inevitably wins all battles in the end. The Elder saw the human female looking, fascinated by the architecture, and grinned with pride. He wondered if she knew his people had taught hers to build similar structures many years ago.

Priests and guardians surrounded this one as well; it had to be one of their most sacred. This was the Jungle Hunter Clan's Temple of the Fallen. Generations of skilled warriors and hunters were buried through its depths, along with their prized trophies from their most honorable and proud hunts. A person could easily get lost rooming around in it, that is, unless you knew the right pathways.

Nina felt a sudden chill down her spine as they entered. Whether it was from the multiple sarcophagi and bones that was the cause of it or the thought of anyone around her being able to turn her into one of those trophies, she had no clue. She felt herself twinge sympathetically whenever she saw some human skulls, hoping the Predator before her didn't notice.

Torches lined the walls, which had deep inscriptions and images of the hunters in triumph over the course of thousands of years. Nina's eyes eventually got used to the dim lighting, but everything seemed to grow colder as they moved. Soon, they entered a large chamber. Row after row of stone coffins were lined before them. The Elder had her follow him to a very specific one.

He carefully shoved away the stone slab covering the coffin, creating a partial opening so the pair could look down into it. Nina turned her head away, astonished that even he would show her a rotting corpse. However, when he made her look, all that the coffin contained was one large, curved skull from an alien that was clearly carnivorous, and a row of six human ones. There were a couple of other items she recognized as well; a dark gray claw, a whisky flask, a melted looking bullet that had already seen its use. But most hauntingly out of all the items, was a leather necklace.

She backed up as if in the path of a serpent and tripped on her own two feet, landing on her bottom and dropping her crutch. The Elder helped her back up before pulling out the necklace for her to look at it further, but she didn't dare touch it, seeing it more like a venomous thorn. He curled it up in the palm of her hand and as he did she could almost feel a dreaded poison flowing through her, turning the world she knew into a black abyss. Would the past ever stop provoking her future?

_She had been so very young and care-free back then. Back when life was wonderful and good. It had been during a very long, very warm summer. She had just turned six, graduated kindergarten, and her father was home. Due to his position in the military, he would leave off and on, sometimes not returning for a couple months, but he had been with her then. And they had been a family since he had last been called to duty._

_During the summer, he would send her to a day camp that lasted about two weeks and pick her back up in the afternoons. In Arts and Crafts, they had learned to brand pictures and letters into solid leather, and with some extra help, Nina had crafted a leather necklace that she had planned on giving to her father for his upcoming birthday. She had pressed in his name on the front, and on the back put a heart, star, and flower. _

_When he came to pick her up later on, she had hid the necklace into her bag and scooted herself onto the passenger's seat in their Jeep. He spoke to her camp consular for a little while before returning. He had been especially quiet that day._

_As she told him all the fun things she did at camp, he would nod or smile. Eventually, he let the truth out._

"_Hey baby girl, you won't be coming back for the rest of camp, ok? So you can sleep in tomorrow morning."_

"_Why?"_

"_I just think that since your summer will be about over soon and you'll be heading off to school this all, we should spend some time together. Just you and me. Does that sound fun?"_

_She nodded rapidly; glad to be spending time with him._

_He took a deep breath and then continued, "You see darling, Daddy's going to be gone for a while too."_

"_Oh," she frowned, "How long?"_

"_Not long, it'll just be for a week or two tops. We've just got a big mission far away we need to do. So you'll be staying in another home until I get back, ok?"_

"_Ok…"_

"_Hey," he took her small hand in his large, warm one, "I'll be back before you know it. Then we'll have our own missions and adventures in the woods. Ok?"_

"_Yes Daddy."_

_For the rest of that week, they had done everything together, but when it came time to leave, and she sat in the car of a social worker, she couldn't stand it. She jumped out and ran into his arms, crying and hugging him tightly._

"_It's alright, it's alright. I'll be back home soon," he whispered to her, consoling her._

"_Daddy," Nina said choked up, pulling out the leather necklace and holding it out to him, "For you." It had seemed a good a time as any for her to give him his gift. Plus it would give her something to top when it was his birthday._

_He smiled and looked at it, then put it on. "I'll wear it the whole time while I'm gone, so I'll have something to remember you by." He stroked her cheek and kissed her, then sent her back to the car before either of them could get any more upset._

She flipped the necklace over slowly, as if it was something fragile. Sure enough, on one side was his name and the other the exact same designs. Now she was truly at risk of crying, and that was something she couldn't allow to happen. Not here.

"Do you recognize it?" The Elder asked. Nina had completely forgotten he was there, too submerged in her own thoughts and memories.

She nodded as she handed it back to him. Whatever expression she had on her face would've given it up anyway. "I made it when I was little. For my father," she felt her anxiety grow. What if, because of this connection, they killed her, or worse? Nina reached to her neck to grasp her dog tag, "I had wanted to make it similar to-" She froze. It wasn't around her neck anymore. Panicking, she searched frantically to see if it had fallen off when she tripped. "M-My father's dog tag! It's gone!" She burst out before she could stop herself, no longer caring about what the Predator thought towards her or her dad.

Her worry for that piece of rusting metal bewildered him. Whatever type of man her father had been, she was definitely proud of him and that thing of his meant something to her because of that. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder and shook it to get her to look up at him. Worry filled her eyes, "Its fine. You haven't lost it. Sain'ja has it." 

Nina studied him, raising an eyebrow.

Now he felt foolish, forgetting she had no idea who he was talking about. "Sorry, Sain'ja is the one who brought you here. I doubt he would lose it either."

She didn't know whether to believe him or not. Either way, she didn't like the thought of anyone else having it. Once more, Nina felt cold, only it was much more severe now, causing her to shiver. This time, it was something she couldn't brush off and ignore. It was a sign of something wrong. Her "sixth sense" never failed her. Looking beyond the Predator, she saw three triangular lights pointed directly at them from seemingly nowhere.

"Look out!" she shrieked, slamming herself into the Elder and causing them both to topple to the ground. She bit her lower lip as her leg began hurting. A blue blast zoomed past them, hitting the far wall and rattling the chamber, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

The Elder was about to pound her for such stupidity and disrespect, when small bits of rock landed on his face and he saw the scorch marks from a large laser shot on the wall. He quickly turned, shoving the human female behind the coffin and glaring in the direction of the shot.

"_Come out and fight like a man, you cowardly insect!" _he roared in his own language.

Nina peered over the coffin in time to see a smarm of blue sparks appear, followed by another Predator who was even _larger _than Sain'ja or the Elder. His armor and mask looked different as well. As the Elder allowed the blades of his Combistick to jut out of the sides, forming a long spear, he glowered at her in a silent order to get down and _stay_ down. She, for a change, listened.

The new Predator fired a few smaller rounds at the Elder, who dove forward and dodged the blasts, rolling behind a few other coffins. _Dishonorable scum!_ He could call for help, but this was his fight to face. He highly doubted this simpleton wanted the human. He couldn't even have known she was with him until of late.

The Predator stopped firing, racing off to the left and extracting his wristblades. He wasn't much of a duelist and knew he would lose in mere minutes in he accepted the Elder's challenge. However, the female soft meat that had saved the Elder from his shot was fair game. She was young, wounded, and an easy target. She would make a good shield since she wasn't dead by now, meaning she was to be protected in the first place.

Nina more so felt than heard the Predator come in her direction. She bent her knees, her back against the coffin, and waited for the right time to shove her momentum at that killer. Her heart pounded. _Why does it always have to be me? _She gripped her crutch in both her hands. As soon as he appeared, she lifted herself up on her good leg and swung the crutch against him like a bat. The Predator had been caught off guard, not expecting her to pack that much of a punch.

"Duck!" she heard someone yelled at her from behind. Nina dropped down to the ground hard, gritting her teeth and covering her head. Something sharp swooshed past her, although from which Predator, she had no idea. After a long pause, she felt someone grab her from under her arms and lift her back on her feet, setting her against the coffin.

Opening her eyes, she saw, gladly, that it was the Elder. He gave her back her now cracked crutch and then spun on his heel out into the hall. She heard him roar again and shadows of another pair or Predators came into view before running off who knows where. Looking the other way, her eyes almost widened into perfect circles.

The Predator that had attacked them now was pinned against the wall. There was the spear, impaled in his neck, with Neon green blood dripping down onto his chest and then the floor.

"_There has been an assassination attempt by a Bad-Blood, whose corpse now lies in that chamber! Search the rest of the grounds for any more of those parasites and warn the other Clan Leaders, Elders, and Adjudicators. Send the women to make sure every Unblooded child is accounted for. I demand to know who is responsible!" _ The Elder commanded the two Guardians, who bowed and ran off diligently.

He went back into the chamber and collected his Combistick, allowing the Bad-Blood's body to flop down upon the stone earth. He kicked it in disgust, shaking his head. Then he went over to the human female. She seemed a bit shaky over what just happened, but right now, he didn't care in the slightest.

"You knew he was there the last minute. I don't know how, but you knew, didn't you?" he asked, he voice slightly raised. He tried to calm himself down, but was failing, too caught up in his own aggression. 

Nina nodded.

"How?" he asked, flaring his mandibles a bit.

Nina backed up against the coffin as far as she could, feeling threatened. "I-I don't know. It's something my father and I shared. S-some kind of tracking ability. It's like he and I could feel things before seeing them. Like that guy." She nodded to the dead Predator. "We called it a sixth sense."

The Elder took this in and shook his head. He needed time when he would be less stressed and aggravated to think on this. On all of these overlapping troubles. On top of that, now Sain'ja wasn't the only person who owed something to this human. He himself now owed her his life.

"Come on," he said calmly, backing away and gesturing her to follow him once more, "It's not safe for you out here. I'm taking you back to Sain'ja's."


	13. Chapter 12: Regroup

Sain'ja leaned against the wall by the gates for the others. Word had already gotten out quickly that a Bad-Blood, a Yautja that would commit dishonorable acts during the hunt or hunt his own, had tried to assassinate one of the Elders. And had met with a fitting death because of such disgrace. He hoped that none had also tried to attack his friends as well.

Although most clans lived on the Yautja homeworld, Yautja Prime, some did own territory on other planets. Many centuries ago, the Jungle Hunter Clan had left and made their lives here. Unfortunately, so did the Super Predator Clan, or so they dubbed themselves. Whatever had caused it, most in that clan had a different, more mutated appearance, compared to all other Yautja, but they also were bigger and capable of great strength. Seeing themselves as better than the rest of their kind, the Super Predator Clan had strayed from the ways of the Honor Code, becoming nothing but a terroristic group. Their clans had had a long standing blood feud with each other since. The thought of one of those worms being able to slip past onto the Jungle Hunter Clan's grounds made Sain'ja's blood boil.

He was glad when he looked up during his thoughts to see his comrades- Adahy, Fox, and Makya- enter the settlement, safe and having each killed at least one of their prey. He also felt a sense of pride at the fact that he was still ahead of them all, if only by one more, in the number of kills made. He approached them and shook Makya's shoulder in greeting.

"_Nice to see you've all made it back. There's been some trouble. A Bad-Blood was spotted and killed and in the Temple of the Fallen," _Sain'ja informed them.

Each bristled some with anger. _"How dare they come onto our land and trod on sacred grounds!" _Fox replied, _"For that, death is a merciful fate for one of those bugs."_

"_I'll explain the rest of the story later. So, how did your own hunts go? I see you've all killed something," _he said as the four continued walking further into the settlement.

Not much of a conversationalist to begin with, Makya shrugged and nodded, his way of saying things where pretty good.

Fox spoke up again, _"I managed to kill one of the oldest male Oomans. Almost got the other female too, but she committed suicide before I could."_

Sain'ja looked at Adahy and smirked, _"I figured you'd be the first to kill off an Ooman. Concentrating on River Ghosts alone then?"_

Adahy replied, smirking back, _"Hey, you would be the one that would've needed to catch up if you had been in my position. I found two of the males, but one was so spastic there's no chance he'd live on his own."_

"_Where are your trophies from the hunt, Sain'ja? You did manage to pick off that one female you were so interested in, right?"_

Before he could come up with a way to explain everything, the Elder walked towards them. _"Sain'ja, I'm glad I've found you," _he nodded to the other three, _"If you'll excuse us, I need to speak with him for a minute."_ They bowed and headed off to join some of the other Youngbloods that had come back from different hunts.

The Elder waited until they were out of earshot before speaking again, _"You were right to be concerned about the female's past. I showed her some of his trophies and she recognized one of them instantly."_

"_And?" _Sain'ja asked, forgetting protocol and eager for an answer.

"_She is the offspring of one of your father's kills. On his last hunt before his death," _he said, allowing time for Sain'ja to take this in before continuing, _"That would explain her knowledge of our fighting styles and weaponry. Whoever it was that survived that hunt must've told and prepared her." _Before, they had assumed when Sain'ja's father had activated the self-destruct sequence on his wrist gauntlet- a typical thing whenever they were beaten or shamed during the hunt- that he had taken the last of his quarry down with him. There had been no bodies found when they came to collect whatever remained for proper burial, only some of his trophies. However, now it seemed that was clearly not the case.

Sain'ja stood there, dumbfounded.

"_The Gods have many ways of playing strange tricks on us, but not without reason. Both of your father's may have entered the Final Rest, but for whatever purpose, whether to continue his hunt or befriend her, you two have met." _The Elder began walking away and Sain'ja's friends returned by his side. Then he turned back around, smirking. _"And one more thing," _he called out, _"Someone's a little upset with you for taking what doesn't belong to you." _ He left, grinning to himself.

"_Who's he talking about?" _ Adahy asked.

Sain'ja figured he might as well let them know what was going on. Maybe they could even help him figure out what to do. He led them back to his home.

Sure enough, when he entered the building, the female looked up, scowling at him and wanting her father's dog tag back. Other than that, she didn't seem at all scared or concerned. Maybe the Elder felt it best not to tell her of their connection. However, when his friend's came in, her eyes widened a little. He saw her muscles tense up as she looked at them, feeling trapped.

"_What's __**she **__doing here? Alive?" _Fox asked, pointing at her accusingly.

Corin had been sitting down with Chase, trying to get him to keep moving, when they heard a rustling noise from not far off. He gripped his gun tightly, switching the safety off. Slowly, with his heart thumping in his chest, he moved forward. If it was one of those Predators again, he didn't know how he would react. The last time they met one of those things, he was certain it would be his last. It _should _have been.

Out of the brush came a human hand, reaching for some tree limb or vine to grab on to. "What?" Corin asked to the wind. Rushing over, he grabbed the hand and pulled it forward. Out came Jacob, dragging an injured Nick across one shoulder. Nick's thigh had several bite marks and dried blood all over it. His once curly hair was a mess and it looked like a bird had nested in it.

"Guys! Thank God, you're alive! We're not alone!" he yelled, laughing nervously. He might've hugged them out of pure joy, but figured it wouldn't be the thing a man would do in times like this. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"No," Jacob said, shaking his head and panting, "You?"

"No. It's just me and Chase. How'd you manage to make it this far?"

"I don't know, after we got away from those beasts we moved for a couple of hours until Nick couldn't make it anymore. That night, there was something, something watching us. We think it was one of the hunters, but it didn't attack, just observed."

"Same thing with us only the one we met dragged me up in a tree then left after looking at Chase for a second. What's his condition?"

"Those things got him pretty bad. He was bleeding heavily, but it's clotted up now. No blood poisoning thankfully, but he's weak. He can't go on long without needing to rest." At that moment, Nick moaned.

Corin and Jacob pulled him over and set him beside Chase. They then got a meal going and ate, trying to figure out a new strategy and how to heal their friends. Taking guesses on who had died or who might still be alive.

Nina sat around the fire pit in Sain'ja's home with the other Youngbloods, her leg outstretched. It felt numb due to moments ago, she had been taken to some kind of medical facility the Predators had here, where a vial of some vigorous, blue muck had been injected into her leg. They had used gestures to at least allow her to guess what they were trying to say. It would speed up the process of her bones mending back together so she would be able to walk by tomorrow.

Her hand and other wounds had been healed. And they looked as good as new if not in better condition than before. The bandages were removed from her that day as well, but now she currently wore some kind of earpiece. It allowed her to be able to tell what the Predators were saying. There were only two other humans who had been accepted by the clan- both were men who were much older than her- so a few of these had been made so they would be able to communicate freely.

A cauldron hung above the fire, keeping warm a stew of some kind that the five shared. Sain'ja had explained to the others earlier about why the female was with him. Thankfully, they understood, but it was very awkward being in the same place as her. She just didn't fit in. They called her by the name Sain'ja had given her, and at first she didn't know what they were talking about. However she caught on fast, even if she wasn't sure if it was an insult or not.

Feeling she had a right to know on the status of the ones she had come to their world with, Sain'ja questioned the others on how their hunts went and which ones of their prey they had killed. Nina listened intently as they described the dead, but refused to show any emotion. At least the ones that had died she hadn't known as well, or cared for as much as Mike, but it still was hurtful to know they were gone _and _that she was just sitting there with their killers.

As Makya explained Jarred's death, she spun her spoon around in her food, searching her heart. She had despised Jarred more than anyone else back home, maybe even more than the Predators, but did he really deserve a death like that? It seemed wrong and horrible, even for someone like him.

Makya saw her doing this and fell extra silent after telling his story. He admitted to himself that he felt guilty about how the male had died. If a kill wasn't quick and painless, then it seemed purely inhumane. Seeing that it might have disturbed this female as well, he knew this wasn't something he could just turn around and forget about the next day.

"_Hey, at least you didn't just leave him there to suffer. You did right," _Adahy said, trying to cheer his friend up a bit. He knew how strongly Makya felt about making a swift kill- although he didn't know why since they were just game- and knew it must be hurting him to feel that he caused the male's pain.

Makya just shrugged. Nina looked at him curiously. Was it possible for him to actually feel a little _upset _about killing one of her kind? It seemed highly unlikely, but his posture seemed to give off that emotion. 

"Well, to be honest he was a real pain most of the time. I can't exactly say I'll miss the guy," she added helpfully. She smiled a little, masking whatever sadness she did have over Jarred's death.

All four Youngbloods stared at her, shocked. She was actually fine with it? They would've thought if she spoke at all during this conversation, it would be to ridicule them on being evil and heartless monsters, which they would've ignored anyway.

"What? Just giving my opinion."

Now recalling whenever Dto-Raija had tackled the male, trying to nearly rip him apart just as one of their hounds would've, Makya began laughing. The others looked at him before soon joining in. Fox gently cuffed her shoulder, _"Congrats; you actually got him to make some kind of vocal response. That's more then we got out of him the first time we met him. Actually, it's more than we normally get from him now."_

Sain'ja watched her as he laughed. Maybe there was hope for her yet. Dto-Raija certainly had changed the dreary, lifeless mood of things, and to think only by saying one sentence. At least he and his friends felt a little more comfortable talking around her now.

Once Jacob, Nick, Chase, and Corin had finished eating, they had tried to patch up Nick the best they could and started moving again. At least Chase, due to the extra company, seemed to have calmed down slightly. He was actually able to walk without shaking.

The Predators had seemed to have gone, at least for now, because they heard and saw nothing. There were no feelings of being watched. Still, they wanted to get out of that spot as fast as they could.

They had been walking for hours when they spotted a large fence, similar to the one they had been near whenever they were released into the jungle at the start. This one, however, didn't have the large cages by it. There was barbed wire that looped around the top, but it wasn't electrified, even though by the looks of things it should have been. It was also rusted with age.

They walked around it for a while, looking for some type of way to get in. Maybe this was the end of the preserve. Maybe the other side led to safety. If they got past and the Predators thought they were still on the hunting grounds, they could hide again and live on their own, without needing to worry about being hunted. Besides, it was the only plan they had.

When they couldn't find an entrance, they dug out a hole underneath the fence and climbed through, setting brush and fallen leaves around the gap to cover it. Everyone made it out fine. As soon as they got through, a warm feeling of relief and success coursed through them. No more hunters. They had survived.

However, what new threats awaited them outside the Jungle Hunter Clans borders?


	14. Chapter 13: Beyond the Borders

The jungle grew more dense around them. Light seemed to scarcely reach the earth through the thickness of the treetops, even in the very middle of the day. As they moved, inside the four boys questioned the wisdom of passing the fence. At least before they knew what they were dealing with. Now it seemed the game had shifted slightly, and whatever the odds, they weren't in their favor.

At first, everything had seemed like it was before. A mess of trees and other flora had surrounded them, covering every view in sight. Then the jungle's wildlife seemed to come into action. There were creatures that looked like giant wasps that took over the skies above, swarming over the young cadets, who were scared out of their minds as the things would sometimes dive for them. Corin had just narrowly missed being impaled by one of them. He had shot it down with a few rounds when it neared him, and after it squirmed on the ground, incapable of flight, he had thrown his knife into it to be certain it wouldn't attack again. This enraged the others of its species, who chased the young humans until they fell into a large stream, whose strong current pulled them away. The four could've sworn they had felt something nipping at them in the water too.

Now drenched, tired, and once again afraid, they marched through the tangle of plants. Insects attacked them, biting them, but at least these were tiny. It seemed the deeper they went in, the worse things were. They began seeing yellowed with age bones and shreds of torn cloth, bullet shells at scenes where men seemed to have fired in all directions. Whoever had fought here, whatever had happened here, it hadn't been good and those men were obviously dead.

Still, it was the first and only signs of other humans they had seen. Others could have made it this far. Others could have lived by their wits and made a home here, or as much as one could make on this rock. So far, the only thing that had kept them going this long was their limited supplies and hope.

"If we ever manage to get home, I'm never teasing my little sister about monsters again. I can't believe I miss the squirt," Nick said, killing the silence.

Jacob smirked, "I think that goes the same for all of us. On the bright side, watching horror movies will be a snap in comparison."

Chortling, Chase added, "Fighting in full out wars would be easier than living through this the rest of our lives," then continued biting down on his blanket, which he carried rather than a gun lately. It seemed to help him cope with reality, so no one complained or tried to get him to do otherwise.

Corin smiled, he was glad to see his friend able to talk in actual sentences instead of repeating a few random words or laughing like an insane person. He wondered if he might ever be fully stable again. If they did get home, he knew Chase would need a therapist's help, but then again, if they told anybody about what happened when they got home, they might all be sent to the nut house.

He tried counting the days they had been trapped here and failed. How long had it been? A couple days? A week? Maybe a little over half a month? And that was just if the planet's days held the same amount of hours as Earth's. Yes; he knew they weren't on their homeworld anymore. What Corin first believed to have been a mirage, or his own sanity being lost, was a huge planet similar to Saturn in the sky, very close to this planet. He could've almost made out the details of that world's terrain.

He was stuck in his own thoughts when he felt a hand suddenly jut out and stop him. It was Jacob's, but he wasn't looking at him. No one was. Everyone was too busy staring, horrified, at a falling apart, human corpse slumped against a boulder. Maggots and blow flies moved in and out of it. The man's ribcage could be seen, for his chest had been sliced open with some type of blade. A few yards away in a similar state was a Predator's body lying on the ground. Chase began breathing heavily, making quiet, screeching sounds into his blanket.

A shoot was fired right over their heads, causing them all to jump from fear. The bark of a tree behind them soon began smoking from the blast. Now was the time to start running.

The boys took off, weapons drawn, Chase needlessly shouting to run over and over. More blasts flew past them, but these much larger and more explosive. Jacob felt hot sparks sizzle on his legs and waist as a shot nearly finished him, landing not a foot away. Terror was always a great motivator to get people moving more than their bodies normally would allow. Whatever roots, saplings, and vines tried to make them falter, they tore through, desperately trying to escape their attackers.

These hunters seemed more skilled than the ones that had attacked them before. Their moves were more precise, more deadly. In other words; they were more likely to die because of them.

With unimaginable speed and targeting ability, a large net came from nowhere. Chase was caught in its mesh before he even knew to dodge. It threw him back several feet, slamming him into a large tree. The solid, hard impact of the wood against his spine visibly dazed him, but very soon he was screaming like the hurt, paralyzed creature that he was. The net held tight to him, refusing barely any movement.

The grid of it was razor sharp, and it cut into his flesh, sending blood flowing down from all over. He howled, tortured as all seemed to drain from his body. It slid down his brows and into his eyes. Crying, Chase urged his hand to his side, pulling out his knife. He wildly moved it back and forth on the net, needing to get out fast. The mesh couldn't be cut.

"Chase!" Corin yelled, about to run back to help him.

Jacob grabbed Corin's arm and yanked him back, "It's too late! We can't help him!" Another shot grazed past them. "Move!" They continued running.

A minute later, the knife slipped out of Chase's limp and bloodstained fingers, falling through the net and sinking into the dirt near his dangling feet.

Uncloaking, an adult Yautja walked forward to the dead human male. The bottom of his mask where his mouth would be was decorated with the sharp, dark, needle-like fangs of a Xenomorph, resembling its maw. Small bones and miniature skulls hung from the mesh on his body. With one quick swipe of his wrist blades, the net cut loose. Chase's gory carcass dropped face forward at the Yautja's feet.

These young prey had not been sent here by his own brethren. They lacked much sport, although they did put up a good pursuit for humans. Still, best not to let such meager, yet interesting entertainment go to waste. Dragging the male's corpse behind, he went back to the camp.

It was a lovely night. Nina sat next to the two other humans and Sain'ja and his friends, along with a few other Predator's around a large fire outside. Each had a hunk of cooked meat from some four-legged animal that was roasting on a spit over the flames.

It had been three full days since she had first been taken to the settlement. The brace had been taken off her leg and she was free to run and walk about as she pleased now. However, tomorrow, Sain'ja and his friends would head out again for the hunt, and that meant she was instructed to stay in his home until he returned. There were enough rations, so she would be fine, but Sain'ja had told her often enough…Don't. Touch. _Anything! _ Especially if it was sharp or had a metal muzzle. Not that she couldn't have guessed that to begin with.

Other than finally having the chance alone to organize her thoughts, Nina didn't wish to think of tomorrow. She had learned quickly that the Predator culture solely revolved around hunting and battle. Her comrades could die very soon because of that lust. The problem was what would happen if she dared to intervene?

Interrupting her meditations and bringing her back into the present, Nina caught on to the conversation between her fellow humans, Kota and Halian- they only went by their names given to them by the Predators now.

Kota was a dark-skinned man who has his head shaven and in place of hair were a few markings and scars. Although he was nearing his fifties, he was strong and lean. He was also very tall, although still nowhere near as tall as the Predators.

Halian was fair-skinned, but had hair that was almost black as coal. He had a short beard grown in and piercing, light-blue eyes. For a man in his forties- just a few years younger than Kota- he was very youthful and full of life. Sain'ja had murmured to Nina one day that he was practically the jester of the clan.

"You heard about the prey escaping onto the Super Predator Clan's territory, right?" Kota asked.

"Yeah, but can you really call that _escaping_? That's almost as bad as tying a rope around one's neck and hanging yourself," Halian said.

"Those teens, they thought they were in over their heads before, they're in deep now."

"How long do you bet they'll last?"

"I'll give them two or three days tops."

"I'll be surprised if they any make it through the first. Those Bad-Bloods should know they're there by now," Halian turned around and looked at Nina, "What about you? Being that young yourself, you've gotta have some idea. What's your guess?" he asked with a smile, not knowing just who he was talking about.

Adopting Makya's quiet and "leave me alone" attitude, she shrugged and stared expressionlessly at the dirt. They were just about to press her for an answer when they noticed Sain'ja and a couple others glaring at them, a warning for them to shut up.

A few hours later, when the fires had died out and most everyone was asleep in their homes, Nina gathered her belongings silently, moving around like a specter. She pressed a few buttons hastily on the wall to get out of the house- having remembered their order for if ever she needed to run away- then got out and sealed the door shut in one fluid, noiseless movement. She pulled her hair in a ponytail, took one last look around, and left.

She had been walking for a little while, leaving behind the towering structures and returning deeper into the jungle, she could just see the fence right ahead, when a twig snapped behind her. Whipping around, she saw nothing at first, and then she noticed a shuddering spot of air two yards away that was tall and humanoid in shape. Nina relaxed and stood straight as Sain'ja uncloaked before her, wearing his mask. "Why are you following me?" she asked quietly.

Sain'ja reached into a large bag he had swung across one shoulder and lifted out her earpiece, putting it back on her. _"Why are __**you**__ heading back out there?" _he countered.

"Take a guess."

"_You can't fight them."_

"Watch me."

"_Watch you get yourself killed? It's actually kind of tempting. But why put yourself at risk in the first place, just for a group of mindle-"_

"A group of _what, _Sain'ja?" Nina said, her voice rising slightly, along with her temper, "Just a group of _mindless game_ is that what you were going to say?"

He didn't answer.

"Guess what? I happen to be one of those _mindless game, _and proud of it! And believe it or not, they're _people _to me! If you have an issue with that, then fine. They're nothing to you anyway, so what? But I'm heading out there for them, and dying with them if it comes to that," spinning on one heel, she began to march off, anger helping propel her forward, as if she could face any enemy that stood in her way.

"_Dto-Raija-"_

"It's _Nina!"_ she growled, turning around and walking backwards, fists clenched, "And what is it now?"

Sain'ja caught up with her, digging out a few more things out of the bag as he did. He pulled out a mask first, showing it to her. It had simple features and somewhat used, but it was what he could grab at a moment's notice. They had some of these in stock for Unblooded children to practice with before they were old enough to make their own. Nina looked at it, then raised one eyebrow at him.

"_You might as well go in on equal footing with those bugs. They're known to fight dirty." _He put the mask in her hands, then dug out a pair of wrist gauntlets, some armor for her shoulders and legs, a small Combistick, and a Shurikan- a weapon similar to a smart disc, only smaller and with curved, retractable blades. These had been his when he was younger, so they should fit her just fine.

"You're not worried I'll try to run off somewhere else?"

"_That's what the tracker I placed in your helmet is for." _Nina grinned a bit before quickly remembering she was supposed to be mad and erasing that sign of emotion. Sain'ja helped her put the stuff on, explaining how they functioned as he did. Once he was finished and everything seemed to work properly, he stepped back and looked at her. If it weren't for her clothing underneath the armor and her hairstyle, in this darkness she would've looked like a young Yautja. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, _"This is important. If you find you can't make it out of there alive, there is a self-destruct device on one of the gauntlets. Use it. Take out some of the Bad-Bloods with you. Understand?"_

She nodded once, "Thank you."

Sain'ja clicked his mandibles together under his mask, regarding her before giving a single nod in return. He turned and left, heading back home.

Nina took a deep breath, watching him until he was out of sight. The mask she wore made it much easier to see. When she changed the settings from normal-vision to infrared-vision, she cursed herself upon seeing other Predators farther off along the path she was going earlier. She should've guessed a lot of areas would be guarded.

Nina activated the cloaking device, then head off silently around the guards, past the fence, and beyond the borders.


	15. Chapter 14: Battling a BadBlood

Nina moved with a light hunter's tread upon the jungle's floor, which had leaves scattered about as far as the eye could see. Her every sense was alert, keened to a point where if anyone did appear, she would know about it well before they could come within firing range. Adrenaline and aggression coursed through her veins like fire, lighting up her spirit and reawakening the darkest depths of her mind.

She could feel it; the world she had once known drawing to a close as she drove herself through the anguish and turmoil that seemed to surround her life. She felt she had known- even if not under the same circumstances- a day like this would come, when she would depart whatever she once knew, and slay through the boundaries that had caged her her whole life. The fear, pain, and tears she had collected from loss over her years of training and fighting, now brewed at a hotter pitch to create a poison she would gladly use to her advantage in the upcoming fight. Nina would need that source of locked rage and strength to lash out at her enemies.

She felt her hand, which gripped the Combistick vice-like, tremble in fury. Never in her life had she touched such an inner power of ire, making it difficult for her to control. This would not do; not at all. For years she had kept her emotions under lock and key, so now that she had released them, how would she fight if she lost herself in them? Her rationality would be overrun by her anger.

Something to consider before the real battle began.

Hiking up a tree and sitting herself on a thick branch hidden with leaves, Nina pulled out her canteen and drank a small sip, allowing herself a couple minutes to rest before she continued searching for her friends. She wouldn't be much use to them if she was exhausted and fatigued. Still, she couldn't help but want to rush to them as quickly as possible.

Maybe the Bad-Blood she had seen in the temple had been easy to face, but that was when he hadn't expected much from her either as a wounded adolescent, _and_ she had help from the Elder. These others though, they wouldn't show restraint or take her abilities for granted whenever they discovered she was there. More than likely, they weren't showing any mercy to her comrades either. That extra motivation in mind, she continued moving.

Who all was still alive? That was the biggest thing she questioned. If the other two humans from the Jungle Hunter Clan had guessed correctly, could it be possible that everyone was already dead? That this was a fruitless journey from the start? _No! _ She refused to believe or accept it. They were stronger than that, they had always been.

The skin under the armor on her shoulders and calves was sweating, soaking her clothes under it as the sunlight heated up the strange metal, but Nina didn't mind; too busy concentrating on what lay ahead. Oddly enough, mixed in with the urge to save her friends, was a small desire to prove herself. To whom, however?

Bleeding heavily from a shot in the back of the head, Jacob's hobbled form flopped down onto a large rock. His eyes had rolled back into his skull and his flesh was pale and cold. A Bad-Blooded Yautja warrior placed one clawed foot on the body to hold it in place, then reached down and into it, pulling the blood-soaked spinal cord and skull out of the now slaughtered creature. He had to admit, this one put up a decent chase. _For a short time anyway. _The warrior, with his back arched and his face staring into the sky, let out a loud cry of victory.

The sound could be heard by Nina from afar, and it rattled her bones and shook her spirit. While other creatures native to the land were used to the cry, she definitely wasn't. Dutch had told her of this cry; it was both one of pain, and more often so, success in a kill or preparation for battle. She was running out of time.

Now at a quiet, mad dash, she raced through the jungle terrain, hopping on rocks and moss in order not to crunch the leaves at her feet. It also left a clearer path in case the Bad-Bloods had left any traps for their prey. Her heart thumping, soon she skid to a stop upon spotting Jacob's gory remains lying at a Predator's feet, who was currently cleaning a human skull and removing the jaw bones from it, with no idea she was near. Too enraged to feel sickened, Nina's eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at him.

Silently, she moved sideways and began climbing a sturdy tree, to give her the advantage of higher ground. As she placed her booted foot on one of the smaller branches, it snapped and fell to the earth below. She froze in place as the Predator quickly jerked his head in her direction, not daring to breath. Thankfully, a bird that was a few branches above her flew away, also startled by the noise. He watched it fly and shook his head before returning to his gruesome work.

Nina carefully stood on a thick branch, gripping one above her with one hand as she hooked the retracted Combistick to her waist. She was at least thirty yards high. She began bending her knees, slowly releasing the branch above and balancing like a cat. Quietly, she brandished her rifle from her back, looking through the scope to take aim. She could not lose a moment. Timing, aim, and silence were crucial weapons she needed, more than any gun or blade right now.

_One of the first rules of survival, _Nina informed the Predator below in her mind, _**never **__let your guard down. _With no second thoughts or doubts, she fired.

It was a direct it. The bullet lodged right in the warrior's eye. If she had aimed for his heart or brain, she knew it would barely make a difference- their skin was very tough. He yelled with rage and pain, neon green blood pouring from the wound like water. Standing up and activating his plasma cannon, he fired in the direction of whoever had ambushed him, his mandibles stretched out, flaring in anger.

His shot hit the tree closet to Nina's, catching part of it on fire. She had slightly blinded him. However, her luck didn't last long. Before she could take out his other eye as well, his next shot hit above her, sending white sparks and branches raining down on her. She lost her balance and fell.

She hit the ground on one side, just managing to get her forearm out of the way so she wouldn't land on top of it. Her shoulder and leg were fine with the armor; it definitely did block strikes wonderfully. However, the drop deactivated the cloaking device. Upon hearing her landing, the Predator ran to her and growled, activating both pairs of wristblades, watching her with her good eye.

Nina had two choices; face him head on or dodge. Since running was out of the question and fighting him with brute strength alone would be suicide, she chose the latter. When he swung for her head, she ducked and dove through his legs, quickly pushing herself up with her arms and giving a tremendous kick to his spine. The warrior staggered forward and almost hit the tree.

Nina spun around and regained her footing almost simultaneously with the Predator. His swung for her stomach this time, which she leaned her chest forward and straightened her legs back to dodge, narrowly missing it by millimeters. She activated her own wristblades right in front of the warrior's face, forcing him to back away.

They regarded one another for a split second. The world around them had evaporated, centering them in a mental fighting ring. Soon they clashed blades together, fist to fist. The Predator was the first one to break loose and swing for her again and again. Nina was forced on the defense in order to block his rapid strikes, sending sparks flying off in every direction.

He had her backed up to the boulder, almost causing her to trip over Jacob's corpse. Once he had her pinned, she would be trapped. He swiftly swung again, however this time, when Nina blocked, she followed it off with a round kick, hitting the warrior in his unguarded side and pushing him away, giving her enough time to free herself from being cornered.

She gestured for him to continue and said, "Age before beauty; you first." The Predator, now ticked off for finding her to merely be a human, female wretch, complied. He refused to be beaten by something so weak and frail. He drove a fist forward at her neck, which she moved away from easily, but this time, he was ready-and relaying- for this strike to miss. Once it passed her, he brought it back around, locking Nina in a choke hold, catching her by surprise.

He smiled at his struggling prey, savoring the moment. He had just been about to run her though the gut, when she began elbowing him repeatedly in the abdomen. So someone so small in comparison, her elbow was sharp and the bone hitting against his stomach and lungs might as well have been a club.

After a few rounds of his, he let go, trying to catch his breath. She was feisty, but that would only make the trophy from her body that much more rewarding and sweet. Seeing his panting state, she side kicked him in the chest, but he grabbed he leg and twisted it around, causing her to fall flat on her face.

He dived his wristblades to lodge them in her back, and she rolled sideways. He tried again with the same result. Nina slashed him in the face with her own blades. His blood dripped on her as he backed away, when he lifted his hands away from his face, he revealed two parallel lines cut above his brow and in between on pair of mandibles.

The warrior's vision was blurry and with only one good eye, he was at a severe disadvantage, but he could still see her solid form in front of him if not details. He prepared to tackle her.

Nina saw the opening clear as day. She had less than a few seconds to make it. Everything seemed to go in slow motion; the Predator spread his arms wide to tackle, and she rammed forward, yelling a furious war cry. She placed one arm above her head, under his neck, and with the other she stabbed her wristblades through her opponent's chest.

He faltered from the impact and knew as soon as they went through he was dead, but he would not go alone. He listed up his own blades with the remainder of his strength and dung them downwards at her head. Nina quickly retracted her blades to dislodge them and ducked, the slash almost scraping her helmet. The warrior's body fell on top of her in a heap, spilling even more blood on her clothing.

The battle had ceased. She had won, but just barely. Nina struggled to shove the hulking behemoth off of her and wiggled out from under him. She retracted her other pair of wristblades when she stood, breathing in air that reeked with the scent of death. Her heart felt like it would burst through her chest with great velocity at any moment.

She had won? She won…She WON! Nina smiled, happy with herself. She felt she had avenged many deaths with just this one kill, specifically her father's and Jacob's. After that brief moment of relief had passed, she got serious again.

She checked her cloaking device and was glad to see it had merely been shut off and not damaged. She recloaked. The blood was already sticking to her, and it felt unbearable. If the cloaking device ever did shut off again, Nina would literally glow in the dark with this gunk on. Plus, who knows what animals the scent of fresh meat might attract.

_Time to find a way to wash up_, she decided. Nina left the bodies as they lay, figuring carnivores would eat them anyway and if the other Bad-Bloods found them first, burying Jacob would be a telltale sign on who must've cut their comrade's life short. She walked away, silent once more.

If only she had known the Predator had activated a hologram device right after he'd been shot and while she was in mid-fall. The whole event had been recorded. And a large group of Bad-Bloods had witnessed everything.


	16. Chapter 15: Finding Corin

Night had fallen. The only sounds that could be heard were the chirping of insects. Nina had rid herself of the warrior's blood in a stream, scrubbing roughly to remove it all. After rehydrating and eating a quick bite, she was on the move again. She had to find the others; she didn't want to only get there in time to see their dead bodies lying around and fighting for retribution alone, although that enough would cause her to attack their murderers.

There was a large, orange glow, and for a moment Nina thought a forest fire might have started. However, she soon realized the fire was more controlled, although huge. Interested and curious, she hid in the shadows and examined the area.

It was a camp of sorts, although there didn't seem to be any one there. A few totem pole-like monoliths stood around it. The leaves and grass that covered the floor before was replaced by dirt and rock. The area looked more like an outdoor butcher shop, with skins and bones from creatures she couldn't recognize either hung from tall racks from above or scattered the earth below in piles. There was also some equipment carefully lying in different areas that she recognized as Predator technology. Most hauntingly, as she looked up, she saw a young, human male, with metal chains tied around his wrists and neck, hooking him to one of the monoliths, breathing heavily, but unconscious. He was covered in his own, slick blood, cut up and badly bruised. Corin...

Quiet and unhesitatingly, Nina ran over to him, "Corin, Corin! Please, stay with me," her words rushed out softly with a pleading tone as she placed a cloaked hand on one of his cheeks, gently caressing it, "Come on! Please! Corin! Stay. With. Me."

He coughed up a little blood as he woke up. He opened his eyes and faced her, even though he couldn't see anything there. "…Who…who's there…"

Smiling under her mask, ecstatic that he was still alive, she placed her other hand on the other side of his face so he could feel her. "It's me, it's Nina. I'm here to get you out."

Corin noticed the touch of small, human hands and relaxed a bit. "Nina…"

She shook her head rapidly, "Yes." Unable to stop herself, she hugged him and began shedding tears of relief. He cringed at the embrace, but refused to let it show. Nina had somehow lived through this madness, and he cared more about that than anything right now. Her safety, her life, it had always been something precious to not only him, but Mike and a few other boys as well. Maybe there was nothing romantic between her and himself, or anyone for that matter- she had always just fit in so well as another one of the guys-, but that didn't stop him from caring about her.

They stayed like this for a second longer. Then Corin's eyes suddenly flew open, the comfort he felt changing to fear. "Nina, run!"

Letting go and looking at him again, she stood up, "What?"

"Go, now!"

"Not without you," she uncloaked so he would be able to see and follow her when they left. He didn't know what to think as she appeared in a Predator mask and some armor, but that wasn't that important right now. Nina took her Combistick off of her waist, activated it so the spear blades came out, and sliced through the chains that had bound Corin with ease.

As soon as he was released, he quickly stood up and began shoving Nina away from the camp with what strength he had. "We have to get out of here! You don't understand! It's a trap!"

Fully registering his words, Nina grabbed his arm with her empty hand and started pulling him away. Not long after, the jungle seemed to come to life. Up in the trees, one by one, Bad-Blooded Predators began to appear, five in total, surrounding them. Nina cursed herself for her stupidity. She should've known it wouldn't be this simple. They must've been waiting for her from the start.

They stared at the two cadets, watching to see how they would react. Some of the Predators activated their wristblades or their own Combisticks. Nina glared up at them. Without looking back she said, "Corin, go. Now!"

"W-What? And leave you alone to these…these monsters?"

"I said go!" she shouted in a commanding voice, "I'll hold them off. If you stay, both of us will die."

He looked at her, backing away, but sadly, she was right. He would only be hindering her if he stayed to try and help. Weaponless and wounded as he was, he would only make her lose concentration and mess her up as she would focus on protecting him. That's how she always had been. He ran off, and as Nina predicted, none of the Predators followed him. She had their full attention now. _ Be safe, _she wanted to tell Corin.

Each of the Predators hopped down from their perches before her once they were alone and Corin's footsteps could no longer be heard. One raced for her preparing to try and kill her with his first strike. Although, Nina had never used anything like a Shuriken- it wasn't like she was trained in the art of the ninja or could use throwing stars- some of the trainers had taught them how to throw knives in case they ever ran out of ammo during a battle. How different could it be really? Nina yanked it from her side and allowed the curved blades to come out before swiftly throwing it at the first incoming Predator.

Apparently, it was more different than she thought. She had been aiming for his heart, but it went higher, sticking in his face instead, luckily damaging the brain and killing him. Now the others were certain her skills in combat weren't to be taken lightly or underestimated, even if her second kill had just been dumb luck.

Nina activated her wristblades on her unoccupied hand, blocking a Predator on one side while using her Combistick to push back another. These guys seemed much stronger than the one she had fought earlier. While she was fending off the two, another came toward her front and let off an extremely powerful kick to her chest, making her fly back and smack into one of the monoliths.

She gripped her weapons tightly as she went airborne and slammed into the chunk of stone. _Well, that didn't go well._ The fourth Predator swung his Combistick at her chest, but she spun around to the other side of the monolith, hot sparks flying off the tall slab of rock on the impact of metal, and recloaked.

Figuring she was trying to run away, the Predator ran to the other side and scanned the area with his eyes to see if he could spot the shaky movement of air that would give away her position. The other three went around in that direction, looking for her as well, dead quiet.

Nina jumped down from her true location on top the monolith, stabbing the unsuspecting Predator through the back, twisting her Combistick to make sure it would kill. The Predator howled from pain and rage as he saw the blade come through his chest. He tried reaching back for the human female, but dropped dead before he could get ahold of her.

Hearing their comrades last cry, they raced back over to the camp to find his corpse with the Combistick through it. Nina was trying to yank it back out, with much difficulty. They needed to get the cloaking device off of her to be able to finish her with ease. One of the Predators, the leader of this particular group, charged forward and slammed himself into Nina, toppling both of them onto the ground with her Combistick still stuck in the body of the dead one.

Once he knew he had grabbed a hold of her and was on her, he pressed one knee down firmly onto her chest so she couldn't move. He felt around until he could grasp the corners of her helmet, then yanked it off, tossing it far out of reach and into some bushes. Nina raised her wristblades up to try and swipe at him, but, now capable of seeing her, he quickly gripped her arm into his massive hand, stopping the attack. She tried again, activating the others, but he did the same thing.

Lifting her up and gripping her wrists painfully, he pulled her closer to him and flared his mandibles apart, trying to terrify the human. Nina spat in his face, staring him down. With a deep growl forming in his throat, he spun her around and threw her into a pile of boulders. The other two Predators moved forward, ready to surround her, each taking her on one side. Both slashed forward at the exact moment Nina had righted herself; she barely had enough time to lift her own wristblades up to block the two.

One brought his foot around and tripped her, causing her to fall again. He was about to make the killing blow when he heard his leader shout something at them. The two Predators looked up to see him come near.

"_Be on guard, but leave her be. This little pest is mine," _he stated, now holding Nina's Combistick in his grip.

They obliged and backed off, stepping away from Nina and their leader as they retracted their wristblades. This would be too entertaining to watch.

Nina pushed herself up, propping on one elbow when the Bad-Blood leader grabbed her by her neck and tossed her back towards the center of the camp. She pushed herself up off the ground and got back on her feet, already turning to face him.

Expertly spinning the Combistick in one hand, he moved to her. Nina watched him carefully; her "sixth sense" was in overdrive now. He swung at her head and she ducked, then struck upward with her left wristblades, catching the Combistick in between the pair. She flipped her wrist around and knocked it out of his hands and kicked it away, but he punched her up and under the chin, knocking her back several steps.

Crimson blood dripped out of her mouth. The leader smiled. Nina looked him dead in the eye, and then slowly, as if brushing away something disgusting, but otherwise harmless, she wiped her lips with her sleeve, clearing the blood away.

He clicked at her angrily. She continued staring at him. Quickly, she flipped open the controls on her wrist gauntlet. In no way was she going to survive this fight. She began rapidly pressing a few quick buttons and commands into the keypad of the self-destruct device. She hoped Corin was well out of harm's way by now.

In moments, the three remaining Predators realized what she was trying to do. The leader lunged for her; Nina turned around and elbowed him as she typed. He staggered back, but then lunged again, grabbing one of her arms and twisting it up and behind her head, nearly snapping the bones.

Nina yelped, but tried to continue activating the countdown with her nose. _Come on! Just a few more commands…_

He grabbed her other arm as well, then pulled the keypad right off, sending small wires sprawling out of the gauntlet. Ungracefully, he crushed it in his clawed hand.

Kicking her behind her knees, he forced Nina to kneel in front of him. He moved around to face her, still gripping onto her wrist and twisting it even more tightly. She gritted her teeth together. Bending down, the leader got eye to eye with the young human. She glared at him and continued trying to struggle free from his grasp.

He didn't understand this one. She was too young to be a warrior amongst her race, yet she fought well enough. While others had run from him and his allies, she- foolishly- stood her ground and stayed to fight back willingly. While most at this point would turn their heads so they wouldn't have to see approaching death, she had the guts to still try to get away and stare him down.

Too bad he would need to spill them out of her.

He was just about to, already pulling a ceremonial dagger off his belt and putting it to her skin, when he froze in place. He had almost forgotten about the Yautja armor she wore. That meant that she was allied with the Jungle Hunter Clan. Killing her now would mean also destroying possible information and an edge over the enemy clan.

He shoved her down at his feet. Nina watched him as he stood up, wondering what he was doing now.

She didn't have long enough to question it as he kicked her hard in the face and she blacked out by the still brightly glowing fire.


	17. Chapter 16: Rescue Part 1

Sain'ja sat up in the trees along with his friends. All of them were cloaked and currently hunting River Ghosts. However, his mind was elsewhere that day, as it had been for a few days now, although he still managed to be ahead of the other three in their number of kills. He was thinking about the human female who had left before. He didn't think anyone else knew what she had done, and that she was still in the safety of his home, but he hadn't heard from her in a week and he doubted she would've just brought her friends over here and left them alone.

His concern and far-off expression didn't escape the others.

"_Sain'ja, are you ok? You've been kind of distant lately," _Adahy said.

Fox nods, _"You'd normally be the first one to jump in there and fight them all at once."_

Sain'ja shrugged.

"_Sain'ja, what's going on? What aren't you telling us?" _Adahy asked.

If something was wrong, he couldn't keep it a secret forever; they would all know about the truth if they got back to camp and found she wasn't there. Plus, they hadn't even seen one of the other humans yet- dead or alive- when normally they could hunt them down within a couple hours depending on how far away they were. Maybe it would be best if they knew…

Makya grips him on one shoulder, snapping him back to reality. Sighing, he told them how Nina had gone off to leave for the other humans the night before they had left to continue the hunt. They shook their heads, amazed at how stupid she could be for doing this.

"_She should know that __**she's **__an exception. What does she expect to do once she brings them back over here? They're as good as dead either way, if they aren't already. They're still prey."_

"_I __**tried**__ to tell her that, but I only ticked her off and made her __**more **__determined to find them. She said they're people to her."_

After a moment of thinking and wondering what to do, Sain'ja stood up. _"She's my responsibility. She spared me and she saved one of the Elders. Whether she's a complete idiot or not, I should go after her in case she's still alive. If I stay cloaked, I should be able to grab her and go before any Bad-Bloods now it." _He began moving away, his decision set.

"_Sain'ja wait up," _Fox called, following him through the trees.

"_You know this is what I have to do, it's my duty."_

"_We know, we're coming with you."_

Sain'ja stopped and looked back at his friends, who had all their weapons ready and moved with him. He shook his head. _"Unacceptable. None of you need to get involved."_

"_Maybe not, but we want to," _Adahy added, _"If anything, to get a little payback for their assassination attempt." _Sain'ja understood how he felt; the Elder that had been attacked was Adahy's own great-grandfather. Still, he didn't think the Elder would like it if he put Adahy's life at risk. Especially against the Super Predator Clan.

"_No. That's final."_

"_We're coming anyway. You might be able to tell us what to do as a hunting party, but this doesn't exactly count,"_ he said with a devilish grin.

Under his mask, Sain'ja rolled his eyes. They were right, yet he still didn't think they should come, but what could he do? _"Fine," _he eventually grumbled.

They had been moving for a few hours, traveling in the trees near the river- there would be a good opening to the other territory there- when Makya spotted the earth moving a little, he stopped the others and pointed in that direction. After a few minutes, a human hand popped out of the mud, along with the rests of its body.

Colton looked around, making sure there weren't any threats nearby. Since finding himself alone in the jungle, he found the river and always stayed by it where ever there was a nice, deep patch of mud. Then he would sink himself in it- experimenting with Nina's survival technique against the Predators- until he got hungry or thirsty. He always hid his shoes, along with his other equipment, in some plants so he wouldn't wind up with trench foot.

Thinking all was clear, he got out of the mud and began walking toward the tree line to get his pack. Makya jumped down right in front of him, causing Colton to fall backward in surprise. When he deactivated his cloaking device, Colton's eyes widened in terror and he started screaming, trying to quickly scoot away from the Youngblood.

Makya kept walking to him until Colton was trapped between him and the rushing river. Colton didn't have a single weapon on him at the time to fight back with. To his shock, the young Predator leaned a hand down to him to help him get back on his feet.

"Umm, thanks?"

Nina bit her lip as a sharp whip cracked against her bare back for the fourteenth time in a row. Her wrists were bound with rope. The Bad-Bloods had let her keep her earpiece in, but only so she could understand what they were saying- or threatening- during the interrogation. Other than that and the blood that flowed from her fresh wounds, she was stark naked. They had taken her clothing in order to increase her misery.

The leader of the Bad-Bloods whipped her until he had done it twenty times. The hunt for her and the others had been called off right after she had been knocked out- no one wanted to miss the torture this creature deserved. He pulled her by the hair, jerking her head back so she would be forced to look up and face him.

"_You can end your pain right now, Ooman. Just tell us the way to get in the settlement without being noticed, and you'll be put to a quick rest."_

"Did you try using a map?" Nina asked sarcastically.

Frowning, he let go of her hair and began whipping her again. Other Yautja from the Super Predator Clan cheered him on enthusiastically. Nina began to see black spots dance across her vision and wondered if she would pass out from blood loss or pain soon, but another snap of the whip kept bringing her back, keeping her alert and fully awake for every minute.

It had gone on like this for a few days; Nina would wake up to be tortured, a bucket of ice water would be poured on her to clean her up a bit, and she would be fed a small enough amount of food, just enough to keep her alive- just barely. The interrogations would begin and go on for hours, but she refused to tell them anything. Other Predators would take turns whipping or cutting her, once or twice she had been electrocuted. At nightfall, fatal wounds would be healed and she would be allowed to go to sleep.

After ten more cracks of the whip, the leader kicked her, gladly watching as she breathed heavily. _"Do you have anything else to say, pest?"_

Once she caught her breath, she smirked, "Two things actually. One; get a breath mint. And two; Have you considered taking anger management classes?"

Picking her up by the back of her neck, he slammed and pinned her to one of the monoliths with all his might. Nina yelped from the impact. One of the others then got the idea to try branding, and picked up a metal rod meant for hanging meat over a fire, and set the tip of it in the flames. The leader gave a nod of acknowledgement as he took the now red hot bar in his hands. Nina could feel the heat radiating from it as he began to stick it to one of her shoulder blades. She braced herself.

A large branch snapped from above and landed in right front of two Bad-Bloods, startling them. They looked around, but couldn't see anyone. Everyone was silent.

A loud whistling sound came from the far right. They looked to spot Corin, now healed and holding his gun. "Mind if I join the party?" He fired at the leader's head than ran off.

The shot hit the leader in the arm. It wouldn't matter much, but it still filled him with rage to know the male had succeeded in landing a blow. Dropping the rod and releasing Nina- who slumped to the ground- he chased after Corin, grabbing his weapons. The other Predator's followed.

"Corin…" Nina shook her head, which was throbbing like crazy, "Corin, no…"

Struggling, her legs wobbling, she used the monolith to support herself up and risked taking a few small steps. _I can do this. I have to help him._ Once she found she was able to do that much, she tried taking another, only to slip with a painful gasp and fall forward, closing her eyes.

She didn't land on the ground. She looked to see she was leaning forward. An invisible force held her around the waist, stopping her from falling and keeping her up. Small blue sparks flew, and a Predator's arm appeared. With some effort, Nina looked over to the side to see who it was. Sain'ja stood there, wearing his mask and tilting his head to one side, taking in her condition.

Nina looked up at him surprised and hurt. She hadn't expected him to come to her rescue, not after him saying what he felt about her coming here in the first place and her yelling at him in turn. A pang of guilt also hit her hard. She had failed him. She hadn't been able to activate the self-destruct device in time and now he was putting himself at risk for her mistake. Looking back down, she began crying.

Sain'ja watched her; he had never seen a creature shed tears before unless they were truly in pain, but she had dealt with so much worse and he had seen he just seconds ago take on so much torture with a lot of courage and will power. So why did she cry now?

He didn't like it.

He gently picked her up under her knees, then found a large, soft cloth, helping her shaking and fumbling hands wrap it around her nude form so she could cover herself. Looking back down, he saw the self-destruct device smashed and destroyed on the dirt. Nina saw it too and covered her mouth with one hand, turning her face away as she sobbed onto his chest.

Now he understood. He walked away from the camp, carrying her, and once he was far enough, sat against the bark of a large tree. Both his friends and hers had teamed up to distract and fight the Bad-Bloods while he got her out of there and worked on healing her.

Sain'ja brushed away a section of hair that had flopped into Nina's face. She looked up at him. He was being so gentle with her. Wouldn't he be mad or disappointed? As he kept brushing and caressing the side of her face, her eyes started to close. Her body went limp in his arms.

He checked her vital signs and shook his head; he didn't have the kind of equipment she would need to be healed completely and her heart rate was dropping. Sain'ja took out his medicomp. Lifting her body up a little, he pulled back the cloth-which was already bloody- and saw the several cuts from the times she had been whipped. His muscles tensed in fury.

He rubbed some medicine onto her skin, then let her lay back in his lap, holding her head up. She was still sniffling a little in her sleep. He wished he could tell her everything would be fine, but he wasn't completely certain himself.

For someone so strong, he had nearly forgotten how fragile she could be at the same time.

Right now, he wished he could tell her everything. About how sorry he was for allowing her to leave; It would've been for her own good if he had tied her up and had someone look after her while he was gone. About for calling her kind game right to her face. About for his father killing hers and leaving her alone in the world. Sain'ja knew his father never would have done it if he had known she existed. No honorable Yautja would've.

Right. That was another thing he owed her, at least through his father; someone to have watched over her and raised her as she grew up. He swore he would at least try to make up for everything.


	18. Chapter 17: Rescue Part 2

He never bothered looking back. Corin continued running through the dense jungle terrain, explosive blasts hitting his heels and zooming past him. The Bad-Bloods were upon him, seven in all. Losing speed now would mean certain death. He had to keep going, just a little farther.

There was a cliff ledge just ahead of him that he knew had the rushing river on the bottom. He stopped and turned, making himself an easy target as the Bad-Bloods came into view. "Now would be a good time guys!" he called out. Nick and Colton appeared on each side of the Predator group, blocking them three ways. They two were healed again and had their guns pointing at their opponents.

The Bad-Bloods began laughing. How foolish could these humans be? They were nowhere near as spirited and violent as their female counterpart, so what made them believe that they stood a chance? Two Predators each aimed their plasma cannons on the young human males. The leader aimed for Corin as well.

The first shot was fired, but not by any of them. It came from above and struck one of the Bad-Blood's from behind, knocking him forward and killing him instantly, his head jerking back from the strike.

The rest of the Predators looked up and around to see where the shot had come from, and who dared to fire it. After a series of sparks, three Youngbloods appeared standing in the trees, all armed to the teeth; Makya, Fox, Adahy.

The leader of the Bad-Bloods recognized that they were from the Jungle Hunter Clan instantly. Glaring in fury, he ordered, _"Finish them! Kill them all!" _The twelve fighters-Bad-Bloods, Youngbloods, and cadets alike-began fighting head on, each fighting one of their quarry solo.

The leader came after Corin, activating his wristblades and shoving him back towards the cliff. Corin attempted to use his gun to block the strikes, but it shattered after a few blows. He took out two, long hunting knives from his belt and turned them side length to block the much more deadly blades of his opponent.

Corin blocked well enough, but he was being forced back, his heels nearly reaching the edge of the cliff. Any farther and he would fall off, get caught into the swirling current, and drown. The leader managed to knock one knife out of his hands, cutting him as he did.

Makya had just killed his opponent; his Combistick stuck right threw his quarry's abdomen, when he noticed Corin's distress. He took his enemy's Combistick and tossed it to Corin before joining Nick to fight another Bad-Blood.

He saw it flying to him just in time, and caught it slippery in his blood-soaked hand, defending himself once more by lifting it up and stopping the leader's downward strike to his skull. Never had he used a spear or staff, but it made it much easier for him to block.

With their combined strengths, the cadets and Youngbloods had wiped out all but three of the Bad-Bloods from the group; the leader and two of his strongest allies. Seeing how his forces were evaporating and how quickly they were being overpowered and ensnared into the trap they had fallen for, the leader shoved Corin aside and slammed him into Adahy. The other pair, grasping what their leader was trying to do, did the same to the other two human males and ran to the side of the cliff, protecting their chief from the others that cornered them.

After finishing the basic commands, the leader yanked off and tossed his self-destruct device at the humans and young Yautja, then grabbed his comrades from behind, pulling them with him as he fell off the cliff and into the water.

Upon seeing the explosive, the six immediately took off in the other direction, running away from the incoming detonation. If they didn't find cover fast, the only thing that would proclaim to others of their existence would be ash and bits of shrapnel and bone splinters.

"_Sain'ja! The Bad-Bloods turned on a self-destruct device! You and Dto-Raija might still be in range! Get cover now!" _ Fox quickly yelled into his communicator as they ran.

He didn't need to be told twice. Holding Nina's unconscious form in his arms, Sain'ja stood up and ran from the direction his friends had gone at a quick pace. He prayed that the God of Death wouldn't decide to take them all yet.

The bomb would detonate soon and there was nothing but jungle for miles. They had to move faster. Seeing a rock overhang, Makya gripped two of his accomplices and pushed them hurryingly in that direction. The others soon understood and followed.

_Three…Two…One…_

The bomb when off, destroying everything in range and clearing the jungle. Obliterating all that stood in its path. A huge orb of blue light could be seen from far off, and the Yautja that did spot it feared the worst for whoever had been in the bombs reach.

Their ears rang. Opening his eyes, Nick saw the destruction the bomb had caused and was stunned at how powerful it had been. The rock wall behind them was falling apart. All of plants and other vegetation that once covered every sight was replaced with smoke, dust, and charred bits of wood. For a while, the six sat there, breathing heavily, thankful to be alive. The next thing they knew, they were laughing, cheering, and congratulating each other on the outcome of the fight.

Sain'ja had heard the bomb go off. They had gotten out of range in time; however the vibration the bomb had caused had sent him flying off his feet and landing on his back, still holding the human female protectively to his chest. One the shuddering of the earth had subsided; he sent a message to his friends to let them know he and Nina were safe and to see if they were as well. He grinned when he heard the response; Adahy's voice laughing, with whoops and hollers in the background. After agreeing that they would meet back at the Jungle Hunter Clan settlement, he began walking again.

Three Bad-Bloods stepped out of the river, drenched and enraged. They couldn't believe they had allowed themselves to be defeated by a group of mere children, and now they were all that was left of their original hunting party. One day though, oh one day, they would get revenge. A Berserker, a Falconer, and a Tracker swore this on their graves.

Now sitting in the clan's medical facility, Sain'ja kneeled by a healing tank. A comatose Nina laid inside, floating in the curing waters and now wearing some suitable, light garments to cover her privates. She also wore a breathing mask over her nose and mouth, with small tubes that collected fresh air from the outside world for her to take in.

He noticed her cringe a bit as the waters soon began to take effect. It would sting at first before working, then just like the medicines he had given her before, she would feel numbness, only this time over her completely, inside and out. He placed a hand on top of the inch and a half thick glass separating the pair.

The rest of the team sat outside by a bonfire, eating. Although they had been fine when fighting together, there was that same awkward silence as when the Youngbloods had first met Nina. The three human males sitting with them might fight like warriors, but they were different from her and were also not used to this kind of life. They would also not get over the deaths of their friends or the fact that the Youngbloods were the cause of them, even if they didn't mention it.

Nina had been the bridge to gap whatever differences they had. Now that she was safe and would be knocked out for some time, they were at a loss for words with one another again. They could've stayed with her in the medical facility, but felt it best to leave Sain'ja alone and with time to think, since she was his to look after.

"_Youngbloods, Oomans," _a male Yautja guard said as he approached their fire, his expression and tone grim and stern, _"Your presence is wanted by the Clan Leaders and the Adjudicators as soon as possible to discuss the seriousness of your traveling and battling on Super Predator Clan Territories. Proceed to the Temple immediately."_ The cadets- having received earpieces- and Youngbloods nodded, all of them rising to their feet. The guard walked off and headed inside the facility to tell Sain'ja the same news.

Sain'ja stood, but looked at Nina worriedly after hearing the order. He didn't believe she would be harmed here, but what if she still died. That and he wanted to be here when she woke up. He felt she would be less afraid that way, at least now, after everything.

"_The Ooman will be fine. The healers will look after her. But you need to do as told if you wish for the best for both hers and your life." _He and the guard turned to leave, Sain'ja planning out what he needed to say. Wondering what sort of punishment might be given to him and his friends for not only leaving the grounds without permission, but disobeying clan rules on trespassing.

Nina's eyes slowly fluttered open, only for her to quickly seal them shut again as the water reached them. Cracking an eye open once more, she found that she could see clearly and that the water she was in had more of a relaxing effect. As memories soon poured in, she wondered where she was and how she got here. The tank she was in soon felt claustrophobic and the tubes that allowed her to breath seemed more so like the tendrils of a squid ready to squeeze the life from her. _Where am I? What's going on? _

Were Corin, Sain'ja and the others alright? What had happened while she was out? Was she still a captive of the Bad-Bloods? These questions and hundreds more surrounded her thoughts, making her desperately want free from this confinement and head out on her own. She began pounding on the glass above her with her fists.

Hearing the banging noise and checking her vital signs on a screen, two female Yautja slid open the healing tank and helped her out. Nina shivered a little as the cool, night air became a shock to her system. They gave her dripping wet form a towel.

After explaining where the others were and letting her know just how "safe" she was, Nina headed out of the medical facility, despite their protests. If they were with the Clan Leaders, either something really good, or more likely, really bad was going to happen. Nina knew that much from her short amount of time spent in the settlement. They could get into trouble for rescuing her. She couldn't allow that to happen. Besides, if she was healthy enough to stand and hit stuff, she was healthy enough to walk and find them.

She had reached the door when she looked down and saw the path of water she was making, along with the fact that she was in some skimpy clothing. Blushing slightly at her appearance, she wrapped the towel around her waist before walking out in her bare feet. The ground felt cold underneath, but she didn't care. She would get used to it and it was nice to feel something other than pain and numbness for a change.

The healers eventually gave up on stopping her from exiting and told one of the Unblooded children to lead her to the Temple and make sure she didn't wander off and get lost. He nodded and took her hand as he led her excitedly, knowing just which short cuts to take and how to get there the quickest. Last of all, he gave Nina her earpiece, then headed off.

Bravely, even in her just healed, shaking from the cool breeze, and in her skinnies body, Nina looked one of the towering guards in the eye with a neutral expression, telling him her urgency to be alongside her friends and just exactly who she was.


	19. Chapter 18: Free to Go

"_Sain'ja, do you understand the severeness of your actions? You might not have only gotten yourself killed by those insects that dare call themselves Yautja, but your friends as well," _one of the Clan Leaders stated. Sain'ja, Makya, Adahy, and Fox kneeled before them. They had just been in the middle of explaining what happened in the Super Predator Clan territory when Nina had been led in and allowed to stand by the other cadets and listen, preparing for what would happen to them next. Kota and Halian were there as well, to explain what was going on to the cadets and human reasoning to the Yautja.

"_I understand, my leaders," _Sain'ja said with an unemotional tone in his voice.

"_With all due respect, my leaders, Sain'ja did not wish for us to come and join in the rescue of the Ooman female, however we insisted. He tried to convince us otherwise, but we could not let him go alone. It was of our choosing that we went," _Adahy added.

With a nod the leaders continued, _"Tell us again, why did you choose to take on such a fool-hearty task?"_

"_The human is my responsibility to watch after, as stated in the Honor Code. To obey that rule, I was needed to disobey another."_

Nina spoke up, holding her head high. She couldn't allow Sain'ja and the other Youngbloods to get into trouble for her. Even though they had done so much to her and her kind, she would never forget the risk they took to save her. "Sirs, if I may speak?"

The Clan leaders looked at her, as did the others in the chamber room, with surprised and off-guard expressions on their faces. This human was a bold one; there was no mistake about that. She stood there, needing to be looked after, no weapons to fight with, and still not fully healed, in a room full of men who could kill her in a moment's notice whenever it suited them, but she stood strong. What was she thinking now? _"Yes, Ooman. Kneel before the council alongside the others." _She complied without a word. Sain'ja glanced at her quickly, giving her a 'what the heck are you doing' look, however she kept her eyes down on the ground before her. _"What is it you wish to say?"_

"That I take full blame for Sain'ja's, Makya's, Fox's, and Adahy's actions. They were only doing so to help protect me and would never have gone there otherwise. It was me who left to begin with. I heard my friends had gone over and I left in search of them. I'm the one who should be punished," she then lied with a straight face, "They couldn't have even known I was gone until the morning they were supposed to leave for the hunt."

"_How did you manage to get through the fence undetected by the watchmen?" _one Clan Leader asked suspiciously.

"Using the same tactics the others and I used to hide ourselves in the beginning of the hunt; I covered myself with mud and gunk to camouflage myself and moved quietly," she lied again. "Before I left, I also…borrowed some of Sain'ja's old equipment I found lying around."

They looked at the Youngbloods, _"Is this true?"_

Nodding bashfully, Sain'ja answered, _"Yes, my leaders."_

"_Very well then. Youngbloods, you may stand aside. Ooman, stay in place."_

Nick whispered to Kota beside him, "What will they do to her?" Colton and Corin listened intently, wanting an answer as well.

"There's no telling. Normally with Youngbloods, punishment for something like this can range from being forced to stay in your home for a few weeks to banishment, depending on how bad it was. For a human, I have no clue."

The Elder got up from his throne and stepped right in front on Nina, who was still kneeling. _"Ooman, do you swear on your honor that this was your wrong doing that led to the Youngblood's actions?"_

"Yes, sir."

"_And you __**alone**__ take full responsibility for all of this?"_

"I do, sir."

"_Your words are accepted then. Stand up." _She did.

The Elder activated one of his wristblades on his right hand. Grabbing a torch from a nearby wall, he began heating up the metal, allowing it to turn a bright, glowing red. There were other, less painful, methods of punishment he could give the girl before him, but if she was to leave this world soon to return to her own, he wanted her to always remember when she came here. Even if the memories brought her pain or anger towards them, they would make her that much stronger.

Slowly and carefully, as if carving a complicated design into a piece of artwork, he began branding the skin on her right upper arm. Nina- he still could not get over her name- stood solid, taking it like a warrior, even if she didn't understand its true intention. The design was elegantly simple; two horizontal, straight cuts that were close together and then a small curved arch above that and centered. It was a sign of bluntness, stubbornness, and more so, rebellion. It was one that could be seen as a mark of punishment, but also one a person could show with pride.

Once he was finished, he retracted the wristblade and looked up to the Youngbloods and others. Making sure the other Clan Leaders couldn't see, he gave them a quick, knowing wink to signal he had a pretty good idea what really happened. Then he put back the torch and sat back down, _"Ooman female, stay standing in place. Males, step forward beside her."_

Colton, Corin, and Nick looked at Halian and Kota nervously. The pair gave the young boys a gentle nudge forward as a gesture for them to go ahead. The two smiled at each other and shook their heads devilishly.

"_As all of you know, the Bad-Bloods have been a plague among us for many generations. They had killed proud members of this clan, treated them as sacrifices, and kill with no honor. Their actions make them no more than another quarry of prey. Adahy, how many Bad-Bloods perished at the hands of these four Oomans?"_

Adahy bowed before speaking, _"My Elder, the older males each killed at least one Bad-Blood each and the youngest killed one with assistance. This was witnessed by Makya, Fox, and I. When we arrived on the Super Predator Clan territory, it was revealed to us that Dto-Raija killed three. One body was found near the corpse of another Ooman male who was already deceased before the Bad-Blood's own death by a pair of small wristblades and he had a bullet in one eye. The other two corpses were still by the Bad-Blood camp when we found her captured."_

_Three? _The Elder blinked. He had known the female excelled in battle, but not enough to cause that much damage to their enemies. The Clan Leaders mumbled to one another before he responded. _"Then with accordance to our laws, since the four Oomans assisted fellow Yautja in battle and showed themselves worthy of equality among us, no harm shall come to them. They will no longer be seen as prey by us and are free to go home on the next ship to Earth." _You could tell the males all breathed sighs of relief in unison, much to the amusement of the Yautja.

Once everything was settled, Nina was sent back to the medical facility to fully recover. The Elder came with her, not only to make sure the healers didn't clear away the burned in mark, but to speak with her as well. He had sent Sain'ja and the others away. The other human males were to stay with Halian and Kota until the ship would take them back to Earth in two weeks.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I prefer Sain'ja's name for you much better than your real one,"he said, trying to make a joke before getting serious, speaking in English.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" she asked, smirking.

He smiled back, "No, I'm serious. I think you should consider changing it."

"I'll think about it."

"Well, _Nina, _there's something I need to tell you. Although Sain'ja and the others would never admit it- neither would I at their age- you've become something to them, believe or not. You've become not just an equal fighter, but an ally in their eyes. They'd want you to stay."

She looked at him, not fully comprehending his words, or really even wanting to understand them to begin with. Stay here? Where she watched her friends die? With the same species that killed her father, his friends, and hers as well? The same people that saved her life had hunted her down with every purpose for her to die at their hands.

"I know what you're thinking. I know how confused you are," he placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, "but I promise that those days are past. You will be safe among us."

"Just as safe as I was when I first arrived?" she asked sarcastically, but her eyes filled with pain and her face hardened. "Just as _safe _as every other human being that is brought here for the same purpose as I was?"

She had him there. She was game before, as would all other beings be when they are hunted. "That is something out of my control. You're an exception due to the Honor Code," his grip tightened a little as if to shake some sense into her, "If you stay, we could teach you."

"_Teach _me?" She said, shrugging him off, "To do what? Kill my own in cold murder?"

"You wouldn't have to. We wouldn't force you to do something like that. Do you see Kota or Halian going around on a quest to harm you or your friends? No. They accepted you all before any of us. But just think of what you could be. From what I've seen, heard, and what you've told me, you're a born and trained warrior already. You could best others of your species if you stayed and trained as an Apprentice. Think of the honor you'd not only bring to yourself, but to your father."

That was definitely not the right thing to say. "My father's dead because one of _your_ men killed him!" Nina clenched her fits tightly to her sides before she really lost it. This was all wrong; she was talking to the exact same people who killed Mike, Jarred, Don, Poncho, Dillon, Mac, Blain, Hawkins, and her father, along with so many others that she knew had died before her time, but sadly she could not name. Remorse, anguish, and confusion soon began to attempt to bring tears to her eyes, which she rapidly fought back.

Seeing her eyes begin to shine and her face flush a little, the Elder decided to change his approach. He knew how sentimental these humans could be, especially their females. They were just born social animals and they couldn't change that. Plus the bounds between parent and offspring were strong ones, no matter what the memory. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What happened to you after it all, if your mother was dead before that?" Receiving no answer at first and only a quick glare, he lifted her chin and pressed on, "Please, tell me."

She might as well tell him. There was no use hiding it anymore. No point in locking up her emotions that would only later remerge to haunt her waking hours, torturing her. "It was Dutch, the only survivor from my father's team, who came back and took me in as his own. He raised me, and we tried to get back to a normal life. Then we saw reports similar to what happened to him and his friends. In order to protect me in case a time like this did occur, he taught me very young to fight back and how to hide.

Three years ago, he vanished, and I was sent to train at a military school. Because I'm a girl, I was treated differently, but I eventually earned my place at top of the classes. The price for everything was that I didn't let many people into my life. Not after losing so many already…"

There was a short silence as Nina released a few tears and looked down in defeat. "My father… He promised me he'd come back," she said softly, her voice cracking a little. The Elder brushed her hair aside and out of her face in order to help console her. He was not prepared for what happened next.

She quickly hugged him; tears pouring down her cheeks, her eyes squeezed shut. She only came up to his chest. For a moment, the Elder was stunned, but he wrapped his arms around Nina and rubbed her head and back gently, trying to get her to calm back down and glad that no one else was around to see.

Eventually, her body went limp. She had cried herself to sleep again. He picked her up and carried her back to the medical facility, setting her on a bed and giving a few instructions and a brief explanation on her state to the healers.

"Sleep on my question, little one. You've got two weeks," he said to her before leaving.

The Elder walked out, rubbing his head. Her father's death had hit her hard, and at so young an age. For Sain'ja to know this, it must also hurt him as well. That's another reason why he would care so much about her. Guilt, honor, and unanswered questions of his own father's death must fill his thoughts when he saw this female. _Fate, why do you play such cruel tricks on those so young and innocent?_ the Elder thought to himself.

There was also the matter of him himself owing the girl a debt after she saved him in the Temple of the Fallen. He admitted to himself that he didn't want her to leave either; she deserved to be among them and to hold the rank of Apprentice, but this was her choice, not something anyone could push.

Time to retire for the evening. He would think about what to do later.

Once Sain'ja saw the Elder leave, he walked inside the medical facility, cloaked and silent. He moved through the building without getting caught. He hoped the females didn't catch his musky scent, but thankfully they seemed to be in another area of the facility, at least for a short time. He had to act fast.

He saw Nina curled up under a blanket on a bed, fast asleep and sniffling some. He hated to wake her, but he had to. He shook her shoulder gently and her eyes flew open and she popped up, reaching out to her side for a weapon that wasn't there; a natural response she had inherited over many years. Sain'ja uncloaked, then dug something out from a pouch and held it out to her; her father's dog tag.

Her eyes widened as she took it, not believing it was real, "Where did you find this? The Bad-Blood's took it with everything else."

"_I got it while you were out cold, before bringing you here," _he recloaked and started walking out.

"…Sain'ja?" He turned around to look at her again. She smiled shyly, the dog tag already hooked around her neck once more. "Thank you, for everything."

He nodded, _"You're welcome…Nina," _then headed back outside and to his home.

Nina watched him leave, seeing his translucent figure disappear out the door. She then soon fell asleep again, feeling safer than she had felt in what seemed like forever, holding the dog tag in one hand on her chest.


	20. Epilogue

_Two years later…_

"Nina Sole, Valedictorian."

She stepped forward, head high and proud, wearing her cadet uniform with a medal on it. It was a sunny day out, with not a cloud in the sky, making the uniform unbearably hot, but she didn't care. The graduation ceremony was held in the courtyard of the school. Seated in chairs were the parents and friends of the cadets, who stood in front on a wooden platform that Nina now walked up on to receive her cord.

Typically, it would be a chosen family member or close ceremony attendee that would give a cadet his or her cord. Nina, having no one who wasn't a cadet themselves, stepped up to Trainer Johnson. He smiled at her, filled with pride at the sight of how far she'd come, and presented it to her. She stepped right back down and returned to her place.

A bugle began to play TAPS, every head was bowed and every cap taken off in respect to the soldiers before their time who had already given up their lives, and more specifically, the cadets that couldn't join them on that day.

Eventually Nina was called back to the platform to give a final speech to the cadets and audience. She nodded her head as she stood in front of a podium and microphone. She looked out into the crowd, feeling nervous, but keeping her expression calm. She knew the words by heart now; she just had to say them and it would all be over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a true honor to stand before you this day, and to stand strong in whatever future may be ahead of us. To my fellow cadets, it has meant so much to me to train and grow by your sides. You all have helped to bring me up from the young girl of solitude I once was to a resilient fighter who understands the strengths of leadership and unity within a team.

"When I first arrived here, never once did I care for the sake of friendship, or the values of compassion. Instead, I had my heart solely set upon making myself the absolute best despite what others might say, and to prove myself that I was worthy to stand among soldiers. I had wanted to walk in my father's footsteps and it those of the men that served beside him; the ones that taught me to have courage and hope when the world seemed to be against you.

"The first year went well. I made a couple of new friends- which was a surprise for me- and had my share of average teenage problems as well. I think we're all glad that we found that we could survive the food." A few knowing snickers and held-back laughs erupted from the other cadets. "Yes, well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

"The second year went better, all of us rookies learned to adapt to the strict rules we needed to follow, and earned our much desired respect from those more experienced than us. We earned promotions and climbed up higher into the ranks that we were more than grateful to hold title of. The training grew a bit rougher, but we excelled through it, knowing what to expect and what to do this round.

"The beginning of the third year gave us hope that we might live through this yet and actually be able to see a real battlefield. Unfortunately, that was not true in the case of Jarred Trotsky, Mike Howards, Chase Douglas, Tessera Fultz, Don Markems, and Jacob Rogers, six of the most brilliant cadets I had met throughout my life. That was the year a group of ten cadets, including myself, went missing before the start of our summer break." Nina took a breath, she had everyone's attention now, but she couldn't go far into this without being called an insane person, "I will not go into details. The pain of their deaths is still hard to swallow for us. But I will say this; during our disappearance, those that perished acted like true soldiers would. They went in that disaster with steady minds and hearts, not knowing if they would come back home alive, but with the fact that no matter what, they would fight back with all the bravery, will, and hope they possessed. They are watching over us now, and for those that miss them as much as I do, they'll be there for you in the tough times ahead, and will stay by your side in spirit when you're hurt or need to stay strong.

"It was difficult returning without them, but we made it back. And for their honor as well as ours we sought out to make them proud. Standing here now, I think we've just about succeeded."

Nina's sixth sense went off and she looked up. There was a similar, translucent figure hanging from the trees, watching her and the others. She knew what it was, but continued on like nothing was happening.

"No one ever said the life of a soldier was an easy one, but it is a life we are more than willing to live. Despite the hardships and the pain, we fight believing in morals that we cherish more than anything, and for the lives that surround us that we long to protect.

"I have lost many in my lifetime, but that has made me strong. It tells me something as well, in the event that I somehow did climb up to the rank of general or commander someday in our army. There are those leaders who see their soldiers as tools in a battle, and will do whatever it takes to win, including their sacrifice, treating men as expendable assets. I don't believe my father and his team were expendable. I don't believe Mike and the others were expendable. I don't believe I or anyone here in expendable. So, my fellow cadets, a word of advice to you in the future as a soldier; although you must be willing to give yourself up for the sake of what's important, don't take another person like that. Allow them and yourself the chance to fight another day if you can. The next day could wind up being brighter than the first. Thank you."

She stepped down again as the crowd clapped. The dean of the academy stepped up to the podium in her place.

"It is my honor to announce that this class of 1998-1999 of Washington DC has completed all military training as of requirement. Cadets of this class of the 1998-1999 school year are hereby dismissed."

As if on cue, the now graduated cadets took their caps and threw them into the air, cheering and completely messing up their formation, which was only allowed on occasions as this. Corin and Colton ran up to her and the trio formed a three way hug. Nick ran down from his spot with the band and joined them. He had officially become a member of their group after coming home.

A demonstration of all they had learned over the course of their training was given to the attendees. They reenacted battles, used actual weapons, and the drill teams preformed shows with flags and formations. Once all was said and done, a small meal was prepared so the cadets could share a final drink of bunch and slice of cake together before saying farewell to one another.

The day was ending soon. Nina headed back to the girl's barracks to collect the remained of her things; immediately putting on her father's dog tag and whispering "I did it," to it as soon as she walked in. The barracks were empty of girls and the sheets and pillows were gone from the bunks to be washed. The entire campus seemed so solemn and abandoned now. This had been her home for four years, and now she was to leave it so suddenly.

She took her two bags off her bunk and put both on one shoulder; she never thought leaving would be this difficult. Turning around, she spotted Corin standing in the doorway, watching her. She hadn't even heard him come in.

Nina ran to him, instantly enveloping herself in his arms; arms that she trusted. He held her for a moment before speaking. "Come on, my mom's already in the car waiting." He led her away through the halls for the last time and to his mom's car. It was strange, but Nina almost felt a part of her evaporate into thin air as she walked out those doors and off campus.

That night, there was a graduation party at Corin's house. His parents said she could stay in the guest room until she got an apartment and job, and the rest of her training was complete. She wouldn't be able to join the rescue teams until she had experienced more. Corin, frankly, wasn't exactly ready to just jump right into military life without enjoying himself some. He was even considering just going into the National Guard.

His entire family came and congratulated the pair, trying their part to make Nina feel welcome. There was more cake, some ice cream, a nice dinner, a card or two given. When night had fallen, everyone gathered around for music and dancing. Some of Corin's youngest cousins and his little brother went swimming in the back yard. Needing some fresh air and time to organize her thoughts for the path ahead, Nina stepped out front and went on the porch.

_What now?_ she wondered. There was not a doubt in her mind that she would be granted entrance into the military, but still some branches were restricted for women, and only few made it into her father's occupation. Maybe she wouldn't have what it took to make it that far. Her sixth sense went off again. Looking up, she saw that same translucent figure standing before her. "Hi."

Sain'ja deactivated his cloaking device as he heard Nina speak, revealing himself to her. He had the scar of a fully-Blooded Yautja on his upper arm. He was not just that now, but an Elite as well for having killed a Queen Xenomorph. Having just gotten back from his Right of Passage, when he decided to stop by this system and share the news with her, and to see just how she had changed over the course of these last two cycles.

"It's been awhile."

Taking out the earpiece she had left behind from a pouch, he put it in her ear and said, _"Yes, it has."_

She gave him a half smile, then removed her jacket and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt; she still had kept the mark the Elder had given her as "punishment" that long ago. Sain'ja grinned under his mask, knowing the humans had ways of removing such scars with surgery. Maybe she did care- at least a little- about the way of the Yautja after all. _"I see you're Blooded too?"_

She laughed a bit, "In a way, I guess you could say that, yes. I'm officially an adult now and passed my basic military training."

"_So now what?"_

She sighed, "To be honest, I don't know. I guess I'll train some more and see about taking my father's path." There was a long silence before she spoke again. "Are the others ok too?"

"_They're Blooded now as well."_

"Good."

"…_You could still come back, you know…"_

Looking up, Nina stared at him, a little surprised, "Come back?"

"_I've got room on my ship. You wouldn't be separated either just for being female. I'll admit, the guys miss you somewhat."_

She raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Just the guys?"

"…_Maybe one other Yautja too."_

After thinking a minute, she looked back up and said, "I think I might take you up on your offer."

Now it was Sain'ja's turn to be shocked, _"You're serious?" _She nodded. _"Well, in that case, get your things and come aboard, Nina."_

"Correction; Dto-Raija." That made him smile. He recloaked as she went back inside and pulled Corin to her room with her. She spoke as she gathered her things, "Look, it's a long story, but I have to go. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. Tell your parents that I appreciate everything, but someone else is going to look after me. Ok?"

"What? You're going?"

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's ok. It's just…Well I-" Nina kissed him before Corin could say more. After she drew her lips away, she hugged him.

"Figured it might be the last time I got the chance to do that...I'll miss you, but I just have to go." They examined each other a second longer, then he nodded, letting her walk out the door and say her goodbyes.

He watched from the window as her aw her head down the street. It looked as if she was talking to someone occasionally. When she was almost out of view, he saw lights from a strange craft appear. Corin shook his head, grinning as he left his position near the window.

He took out a small container in his back pocket and flipped it open. Inside was a ring he had planned to give her when he got the chance that night. Now it seemed he wouldn't be able to tell her his true feelings, but he would wait. After all, wouldn't she do the same if he did leave for the army?

Besides, he-partially knew there was no taming Dto-Raija anyway. No one could tame the Jungle Cat.


End file.
